


If You Think It's Love

by shreklover_06



Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Dislike to Romance, F/F, Infidelity, Mild Smut, Voyage Around The World
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 06:54:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25589452
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shreklover_06/pseuds/shreklover_06
Summary: In April of 1968, Clementine embarks on a voyage around the world along with her fiancé, Louis, who she’s set to marry following the conclusion of the journey. There she seeks inner acceptance of their relationship and attempts to come to terms with becoming his wife. She nearly does, too, until she meets the mysterious daughter of the man in charge of the entire trip.
Relationships: Clementine/Violet (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Comments: 15
Kudos: 66





	1. Sea Foam

**_April 6, 1968_ **

The ship creaked in sync with the waves; it grew louder as the ocean around her swelled and darkened. All the experiences of her twenty-five years of her life had brought her to this moment. It was time to finally grow up. To leave behind all the fantasies of girlhood and approach life as an adult… As a wife and then eventually as a mother. How hard could it possibly be, she often pondered. It is not as though her future husband was some controlling monster of a man. He respected her more than any other person she’d ever met before. Since they first met, he’d been nothing but supportive of her and all that she fancied herself with.

Hell, what other man these days would allow their fiancée to accompany them on a dangerous and risk-filled tour around the world? Louis was just like that. He didn’t view Clementine – or any woman for that matter – as a fragile, inept being to be protected by men. That was the whole reason why Clementine – who was completely deadest against the very concept of marriage – even agreed to take his hand in it. He was different than all the others, but somehow it wasn’t enough.

All she could do, though, was pray and beg to someone somewhere that her feelings would change. She wanted nothing more than to feel content with the world while held in his arms. But even as she stood there, grasping onto the steel railing of the deck and felt his warm embrace from the back, she felt no such sense of peace. She was just reminded time and time again of their sudden engagement… of that stupid ring on her finger, which always gleamed so brightly it nearly blinded her, whenever the sun beamed down.

“Hello darling, are you enjoying the view?” Louis whispered into her ear, his grip around her growing even more tight.

“Oh yes, I was… Very much so, of course, until you decided to come suffocate me,” She replied in a playful manner, trying to pretend her thoughts from before had washed away with the sea foam. Wriggling free of his iron grip, she turned around to face him, her back pressing against the cool steel.

She smiled up at him, wondering if perhaps he could see through the gesture. “How’s it going? Have the rest of your colleagues boarded?”

Louis nodded, reaching up to brush a strand of her curly black hair away from her face. “For the most part, yes. My buddy Mitch is here, and already complaining, though, as he does. Marlon has already been here for a few days… I’ll have to go take you to say hello. Oh, and let’s not forget Aasim and his wife Ruby, I’m sure you two will get along well.”

“I was not aware that Aasim had a wife…” Clem noted, swatting his wandering hand away.

“Yes, she seems quite well-mannered. I’d hope so, at least, she’s one of the only other women on our team…” Louis replied, flashing her a smirk she’d seen one too many times.

“Oh woe is me… however will I survive without someone to gossip about you with!” She teased with a chuckle, finally breaking free of his grasp and walking further down the deck. “I’ll be happy to make an acquaintance with this Ruby fellow, however will make no guarantees that I will get along well with her. It is hard to find company with other ladies. Perhaps I will steal one of your friends away, I hear they’re great talkers.”

“Over my dead body… Knowing them they’d try to snatch you away just to spite me,” Louis followed her up to the top of the deck, looking solemnly at the spread of ocean before them. “It seems a storm is coming, do you not agree?”

Clementine let out a little sigh, “Yes, I noticed that before. It’s a shame we will be leaving before the rain even breaks through the horizon.”

“How can you be so sure?”, He questioned, looking over at his fiancé inquisitively.

She smiled a bit, looking back. “I’ve spent many days peering out at the sky from a balcony somewhere far away, just watching the waves and the sky. It was something I did often as a girl, and from that I learned how to differentiate how the water shifts and changes on the brink of a storm. I’ve seen small storms to raging hurricanes. I know from the way these waves appear that the storm will be miniscule in comparison to what I’ve seen, but I know it’s at least a couple hours away…”

“Wow, I was not aware my wife was such an intelligent woman.” Louis replied with a small chuckle. 

“I’m not your wife yet,” Clem snapped back quite defensively. She hadn’t even intended on being so unruly, but it had come rather as an instinct.

“Got it… sorry for being a pest.”

“No… no, I’m sorry, that was rude of me.” She felt the urge to slap herself for being so careless of his feelings. “How about you take me over to your friends. I’m sure they don’t appreciate our absence… Maybe we can get settled into our room before dinner as well, I’d like to change out of these musty clothes.”

“How impressive, you simply read my mind just now,” Louis reached out for her hand, which she gave without hesitation. Kissing it with a soft smile, he then began leading her down the lookout ledge. Together the couple made their way to the other side of the enormous boat, where unfamiliar people were still pouring through with several bags and luggage in tow.

They then headed down another flight of stairs, to an area which Clementine assumed her fiancé’s colleagues and closest friends were located. For the most part, she quite enjoyed the company of Louis’s friends. Like him, they were respectful, honorable young men. She really had no complaints besides the fact that they all could get a bit rowdy together at times, especially when alcohol was involved.

She personally was not a very social person. Sure, she had Louis and a few close friends back home in Georgia, but she was surely no social butterfly. As a child, she was mostly friendless until she’d met Louis in the beginning of high school. He was everything she wanted to be at that age. He was extremely friendly and kind, and the vast majority of their school’s student population was on great terms with him in return. For some reason, he had seen her one day and had instantly fallen in love. For weeks, he’d pursued her, and she tried her hardest to avoid him… but it was to no avail. Back then, it was almost too easy to fall in love with him. She’d been so attached to him at the time, when she was too shy to speak to anyone who didn’t speak first, but that attachment naturally began to fade as she grew more and more confident with herself.

In a way, it made her feel quite selfish. It was almost like she’d used to him to make herself into the person she now was, and once she’d finished it was like she wanted to toss him away.

“Clem?!” Suddenly a hand was waving in front of her face, returning her to reality.

“Oh… s-sorry, my mind just drifted away.” Clementine’s cheeks flushed bright red as she realized they were now standing in front of a group of people.

She heard Louis laugh a bit, as he put his arm around her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. “That’s my Clem, always wrapped up in her own head.” His words did little to console, but rather made her turn even more red.

She glanced quickly at the faces before her. She clearly recognized Marlon – one of Louis’s oldest friends, whom she knew from high school; then Mitch (who was looking grumpy as usual); and then the other man, Aasim she assumed. Sitting beside her was a slightly older-looking woman, which she guessed must be his wife.

She was nothing like what Clem had imagined. The woman was a bit heavy-set and was obviously of shorter stature than Clem. She had an impressive look about her, like she could definitely beat you up in a fight, yet still retain her Southern-belle charm while doing so. Her fiery red hair was just another asset which only accented her tough-looking side. Clem knew at first glance that she could definitely get along well with her.

The woman’s husband beside her was quite dulled in comparison to her appearance. He seemed to be of possibly Arabic descent, although judging from his name, his family might’ve originated from India. It wasn’t as though he was unattractive, though. Clem could confidently say he was the most attractive of the bunch. He just appeared to be quite plain and ordinary.

Mitch was no more interesting-looking than Aasim. Sure, he had decent features, but he always appeared so pissed off to Clem. Moving onto Marlon, she definitely did not find him to be particularly attractive, but his blond mullet and bright blue eyes were without a doubt, eye-catching features.

“How’s it going, Clementine?” Marlon asked with a friendly smile; as casual, yet considerate as ever.

Clem returned the smile, leaning down so he could kiss her cheek in greeting. Pulling away, she replied, “It’s all good. I hear you’ve been on this boat for quite a while now, is that so?”

“Yes, actually. I got here about three days ago; when it first docked. I figured I might as well get all my things together before hoards of people came.”

“Rightfully so, it appears there’s more people on board that I first imagined there would be… it makes me wonder how people such as yourself who are actually doing work will ever get any peace”, Clem replied, attempting to prolong their slightly stiff conversation.

“Oh don’t worry, about half the folks here will be getting off in Europe, and I’d reckon a quarter of those who don’t will surely hop off at the more popular islands, once we get there of course.” Once Marlon finished his explanation, he promptly picked up his glass of bourbon and took a slow swig, letting the liquid burn all the way down his throat.

“Ah, I see…” She said, letting their conversation finally fade away to silence.

Louis then took over, introducing her to Mitch, who made no real effort to speak with her and merely nodded his head in acknowledgement. He had never been a man of many words, so she could not find it in herself to judge him for his rudeness.

He then moved on to Aasim, “Hey man, it’s been a while… glad to see you, and to finally meet your beautiful wife!”

Aasim smiled back in greeting as his wife stood up to hug both Clem and Louis, taking them by surprise with her abruptness.

“Well hello dears! It’s so nice to finally meet both of you lovely youngsters! I’ve heard so much…”, Ruby pulled away, her sparkling green eyes focusing in on Clem. “Well aren’t you pretty! Louis had better be counting his blessings for getting his hands on a looker like yourself!” She exclaimed in her strong southern accent.

Clementine blushed and thanked her, feeling quite uneasy to be receiving such a kind compliment, especially from someone she’d just met. Nevertheless, the woman had made her feel at home somehow… as if she were spending a weekend with her sweet old grandparents back when she was just a girl. She figured Ruby had that effect mostly because of her dialect. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Ruby…” Clementine replied shyly.

Ruby smiled and sat back down in her seat. Louis then turned to his fiancée, “How about you go down to our room… while I stay here and catch up with my buddies for a bit?”

“Oh, that sounds like a perfect idea… I can get some nicer clothes on for dinner. Just give me the keys, pretty please.” She quipped with a sly grin.

Louis happily handed over the key to the room that they’d been assigned to, giving her a quick smooch on the cheek to send her off. Clementine then skipped away merrily, happy that she was finally getting some much-needed alone time.

From what she remembered, the rooms were usually on the floor she was currently on, however Louis had previously instructed her that their room would be on another floor below. Since they were personally invited by the owner of the ship, she assumed their room would likely be nicer than the average guest’s, even though most of the guests were already in first-class status.

The bottom floor was pretty empty for the most part, containing only the larger and more private suites of the most distinguished of passengers. The key she was given had the number six engraved into the back of it. The giant corridor she had entered appeared to have seven total doors, with corresponding numbers inscribed on them. The three odd numbered doors: one, three, and five were all on the left side, while the three even numbered doors: two, four, and six were on the opposite side. At the very end was a singular door with a seven on it.

It was surely a close friend or colleague of the man in charge of the whole expedition. The man also apparently had a daughter who was on board, but Clementine knew better than to think she was staying in that room. Without a doubt, she was somewhere way above, away from the other passengers.

As she walked closer and closer, though, she began to hear faint voices. It was definitely coming from the door marked seven at the very end. The voices seemed to be arguing with one another, shouting even at times. Curious to find out the kind of people who’d be staying so close, she pressed her ear against the wooden door when finally got near enough to do so.

From her position she could hear, “God, you’re so fucking annoying! All you ever want to do is sleep with me and then after it happens you always pretend like it didn’t! I want to know what I really am to you, Vi! Don’t you understand me?!” Clementine was suddenly very interested in the conversation, registering that she was likely eavesdropping on a lover’s quarrel of some sort.

“No, I don’t actually! What the hell do you want me to do, Minnie?! March around yelling from the rooftops that I’m in love with you? This “thing” we have is fucking dangerous… no one can know or we’re both beyond fucked!”

Clem had to suppress a gasp as she realized both the voices she was overhearing were female.

“You know what, fuck you! Get out of here, you heartless bitch! I’m done!”

She could hear the sounds of shuffling and footsteps and quickly pulled away, dashing to her room’s door. She hurriedly fiddled with the keys, trying to unlock it as her hands shook. She made sure to keep her eyes strictly focused on the door in front of her, trying not to draw unnecessary attention to herself, as the door nearby was wrenched open and then slammed closed furiously.

Clementine nearly cried in relief when she finally got the door open and rushed inside, successfully avoiding confrontation with whoever had just left the other room seconds ago. Still shaking, she sank down to the ground against the door, letting the key fall to the carpeted floor nearby.

She couldn’t believe what she’d just overheard, and she was pretty sure if the neighbors knew that she had they would probably try and throw her overboard while she was sleeping. Although she had no idea who the two suspected women were, she was certain at some point they’d eventually make up and she’d bump into them together. Until then, she would just have to keep her mouth shut… and somehow forget about the entire ordeal.

Cautiously, she made herself stand back up, brushing off her skirt as she attempted to come to her bearings. Her room itself was every bit as luxurious as she had expected it to be. There was a small, albeit comfy-looking living room and even a kitchen and dining room. Most impressive of all, however, was her massive bedroom equipped with an extravagant king-sized bed (which could probably fit about four people and still not be cramped). Attached to the bedroom was a large walk-in closet and bathroom.

She was practically in heaven, she thought, as she plopped onto the bed, reveling in its soft sheets. It wasn’t like this was something she was used to. Her and Louis weren’t exactly swimming in wealth yet. They had only gotten engaged within the past month, so Clem had yet to move in with him. She was currently residing in a small cottage on her parents’ land. It was a quaint little place and she definitely would miss it there, but she would move on to have so much more.

Louis happened to be a bit more fortunate than her. He was a well-known explorer, and had already discovered new areas of land and species which resided there, receiving great compensation for his findings. But despite his status, he had still not amassed a great fortune. Instead he used the funds to assist his family, who had always been less fortunate on the spectrum of wealth – even compared to Clementine’s family.

After this trip, though, Louis had insisted that he would receive a fortune large enough to support the both of them for practically the rest of their lives. He promised her he would buy a big house somewhere in the city and they would host the most extraordinary parties there until it was time to settle down and have a family, which he claimed he’d still have enough money left to support. Clem wouldn’t have to work a day in her life, he’d said, unless she wanted to.

So really, she shouldn’t have any reason to complain. She and him were still young and beautiful, and they’d already made it financially, all thanks to his hard work. Most girls her age were still searching hopelessly for love and working nine to five at some boring job as a waitress or a receptionist, so she should be thankful for the opportunities she’d received.

Yet as she looked around at all that she could soon have with Louis’s money, she felt maybe it wasn’t worth it after all.

“Fuck…”, She muttered, enjoying the feeling of saying such a forbidden word. Upholding the perfect image of a loving fiancée was already hard enough, so how would she ever manage as his wife. She’d never been cut out for this life of properness… of politeness, and it was exactly why she was scared of her future – as promising as the leisurely part of the lifestyle seemed.

Clementine sat up on the bed, looking over at the closet. She couldn’t stay in the room all night, after all. Louis would surely come knocking in a half hour’s time, asking for his darling Clem to come to a lovely dinner with him and his friends.

Hopping off the bed swiftly, she made her way to the closet, finding all her clothes neatly ironed and hung up in the closet. Her suitcase was placed on the very top rack, obviously put there by the housekeeper who’d hung up all her clothes. She’d never been a fan of dresses but she knew that dinners from now on would be quite formal, and therefore would require her to wear a dress.

She brushed her hand thoughtfully across the row of multi-colored fabric until she landed on her most favorite of all. It was a bright red short-sleeved dress, which hung off the shoulders attractively. She usually wore a fur shawl over it to prevent unwanted stares from pervy old men.

Clem quickly undressed out of her nearly sweat-soaked garb and slipped on the dress. She paired the outfit with some plain black heels that seemed to look good with nearly the entirety of her wardrobe. With her outfit almost complete, she headed into the bathroom to freshen up her appearance a bit. Her curly hair had become unruly with prolonged exposure to the salty ocean air and breeze. She, however, had become a professional at calming down her wild curls in a matter of minutes.

Following this, she dabbed some powder on her cheeks and applied red lipstick that matched perfectly with the shade of her dress. Giving herself a once-over, she then decided that some white pearls would fit nicely. Finally then she was satisfied with her appearance.

With perfect timing, Louis lightly knocked on the door to their room, alerting Clem that it was time to head up to the dining room. She felt a twinge of jealousy when she finally exited the room, seeing that her fiancé was still clad in his shabby clothes from before, meanwhile she’d spent the last thirty minutes playing dress up for this silly dinner.

“Well, don’t you look absolutely ravishing…” Louis remarked playfully. Clem gave him an irritated look as she closed the door behind herself. He merely laughed and offered up his arm for her to hold.

“I can walk on my own…” She muttered, shoving past him and beginning to walk down to the other side of the corridor.

“Ouch, how did I piss you off this time?” He asked, jogging to catch up with her.

“It’s nothing really.” She replied with a soft sigh, letting him put his arm around her bare shoulders.

“Nervous?” He inquired, looking into her eyes with concern as they approached the elevator up to the top floor.

Once they stepped inside, she opened her mouth to speak, but quickly shut it when another person came scrambling inside. It was a younger girl, probably about the age of twenty or so. She was abnormally tall, seeming to tower over Louis in heels. Her hair was a darker shade of red, coincidentally the second redhead they’d met that day.

Her tall stature and bobbed hair made her appear quite masculine. It seemed unnatural for her to be wearing a dress, but apparently she was on the way to the dinner as well. Both Clementine and Louis kept quiet, almost intimidated by the strange looking girl, however she too had kept completely silent as well.

The tense elevator ride lasted no much longer than a minute and both parties were able to exit the lift, parting ways anxiously.

“Hey… wasn’t that girl kinda odd…” Louis began, keeping his voice lowered out of fear that she might hear. Clem promptly shushed him, telling him not to be rude. He quickly shut up and led her into the dining hall, which was filled with all sorts of people of various levels of importance. From the ceiling hung grand chandeliers, which illuminated all sections of the room. Women dressed in casual brunch dresses sat among men in equally casual attire, while women clad in silk party dresses sat with men dressed in expensive tuxedos. There was no possible way you could feel out of place in such a gathering of people. It mattered not if you were a rich man or a poor man… what counted was the talent of the individual.

Scientists… doctors… engineers… mathematicians… and explorers like Louis and his friend had all come to congregate on this boat. Altogether they would experience the world to its full extent and return home having acquired knowledge like no other. It was truly a beautiful thing to Clem if you looked past the politics and money. This would be a tour of knowledge-seeking, of enlightenment. She would forever thankful to be apart of it, no matter what happened.

Clementine and Louis were led to their table, which contained several familiar faces, along with some unfamiliar ones. She recognized Marlon, Mitch, Aasim, and Ruby, but among them was three others. The first unfamiliar face she felt drawn to was a woman with brown hair sat between Mitch and Marlon. She seemed to be there on her own accord, as she was not accompanied by a husband. On the other side of Aasim were two other men: one with straight black hair and the other with an afro.

“Oh Clem, you haven’t yet been introduced to these lovely new people. The wonderful lady next to Marlon is Brody, one of the most highly esteemed female explorers. The other two are James and Omar. They will be joining our team for this voyage.”

Clementine greeted each one politely, receiving an equally polite greeting back in return. From first impressions alone, she could tell that they were nice people. They did not seem particularly loud or talkative as the night went on, and mainly stuck to themselves. The others, however, were not so quiet and often made obnoxious and occasionally inappropriate jokes, laughing idiotically at them afterwards. She could tell they’d had one too many drinks already, and it was only their first night there.

She soon found herself staring off into space, no longer interested in their childish banter. She soon perked up at the sight of the strange girl with the dark red hair. She was sitting at a table not too far away with a group of other aristocratic-appearing men and women. Clem quickly registered that one of the men was the CEO who had invited them on the expedition. Beside him was an empty seat, obviously indicative of his daughter’s absence. The strange tall girl’s chair was sat close by, she also noticed.

A dismal look of disinterest seemed to be plastered on her face. Her eyes often fluttered to that empty seat and her look of sadness only seemed to deepen. Clementine couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for the girl. She was obviously upset with something and unable to express it in the company of so many people… or perhaps she was friends with the CEO’s daughter, and she was just bored out of her mind because her friend had ditched her.

Clem watched her for a long period of time before deciding that she was bordering on stalkerish territory. She’d already finished her meal by then and was starting to drift off. Louis, as perceptive as ever, quickly noticed his fiancée struggling to stay away and came to a halt, touching her hand gently. “Would you like to return to our room, honey?” Clem met his eyes sleepily and nodded – not particularly caring if their leaving would appear as rude to their fellow table-mates.

“Well everyone, I think me and Clementine will be leaving. We’ve had a rather long day, please try and excuse our imprudence.”

With that, they were bid goodnight by the others and soon exited the dining hall. Once inside the elevator, Clem leaned her entire body weight against her fiancé, almost too tired to even stand at that point. She was unsure when exactly this wave of exhaustion had hit, but it had hit harder than ever.

Catching her drift, Louis then took it upon himself to then hoist her up into his arms, carrying her “princess style” as he called it. She groaned in protest, slapping his chest gently in discontent. “I have two working legs, mind you… I can walk fine on my own, you know.”

“Oh really now? Cause it appeared to me that you would surely collapse if I had not come to your rescue and picked you up?” Louis teased, leaning down to kiss her forehead, causing her to scrunch up her nose in irritability. “Would you stop…”

“Stop what now? Stop killing you with my irresistible charm… I’m sorry my dear, but no can do.” He replied, earning yet another groan.

The elevator doors opened a few seconds later, and he continued to carry her – albeit her protest – all the way to their room. Somehow he even managed to unlock the door with one hand and brought her inside. She felt her eyes grow heavier and heavier as they then approached the bedroom, where he gently laid her down on the bed.

She immediately sighed in content, preparing to drift off to dreamland right then and there, until she felt Louis hovering over her, and then a particularly wet smooch on her neck area. Her eyes fluttered open to see him above her, looking down with bedroom eyes. “W-what are you doing?” She muttered, barely awake still.

“Don’t worry Clem, I’m taking care of you… just sit back and relax.” She stared up at him, confused by what he was referring to. He then leaned in, capturing her lips without warning in a slightly sloppy French kiss. Immediately, she knew where this was going. In all their years of dating they’d never gotten very far, but ever since she’d accepted his marriage proposal, Louis had become more daring.

“Louis… come on..” She tried to say, but he shushed her with another kiss, making her breathless. His hands found their way underneath her dress, and she found herself growing more disturbed. She tried to break the kiss to no avail, and instead went for a clean knee in the place where she knew it’d hurt the most. His entire weight fell down on her as he groaned in pain, “Fuck, Clem! Why would you do that!”

“You weren’t listening to me! It was the only way I could get you to stop… I’m not in the goddamn mood for this, I just want to sleep!” She exclaimed, shoving him away.

“You know, Clementine, you’re never in the mood for this. Ever.”

She angrily turned away from him, burying herself in the covers. “That’s not true.”

“It so is. We’ve been dating for seven fucking years and you’re about to be my wife now. We’ve never gotten very far in the first place, but it just seems like you hate it even more now than ever.”

“Please leave me alone, Louis. I’m fucking exhausted okay? Is sex all you men ever think of? God...” With that, she turned off the lamp and nestled in the covers, drifting off to sleep within ten minutes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The name was changed to "If You Think It's Love". (Named after a song by the artist "King Princess")  
> Thanks for reading, and most of all for the support! <3


	2. North Star

**_April 15, 1968_ **

Clementine awoke with a heavy gasp, gripping onto her covers as though she were gripping to her lifeline. The room was still dim, with the sun’s dawn light shining through the singular porthole. She could vaguely see Louis sleeping soundly beside her, still wrapped up in the tangle of white sheets. 

Thrown about the carpeted floor were clothes from the previous night, reminders of her drinking just a bit too much. Louis has carried her back to the room as he once did before, and like that he’d finally consummated their relationship. And she’d been simply too wasted to reject his advances, as she had the first night they arrived. 

Despite knowing full well that what they’d done was completely normal and expected in a relationship as long-term as theirs, she couldn’t help but feel violated, as though she’d been assaulted by some strange man rather than her fiancé, who loved her very much. 

Things had actually been going well since they’d first arrived on the boat. She found herself becoming less distant and moody with him, and in return he devoted the majority of his free time to her. As great as things had been going, she now felt as though all her efforts were perhaps in vain. 

How the hell could she possibly face him now? It felt like he had gone and completely betrayed her. He had taken full advantage of her drunken state to get what he wanted. How could she possibly forgive him, regardless if he’d been out of his rational mind as well? 

She muffled a cry of despair into her blanket, already feeling soreness spread throughout the entirety of her body. Hesitantly, she turned towards him, watching his bare chest fall and rise with each breath he took. He looked so peaceful and innocent like that, she thought. It almost made her regret her previous thoughts of hatred towards him. 

Maybe… just maybe she’d let his crude actions slide. After all, who could blame him for what he’d done? They’d been together for so long… she’d kept him waiting for so long… 

She was certain a worse man would have cheated on her, or even left her for another woman altogether by now for refusing to put out. Honestly she should just be grateful that she scarcely could even recall the whole ordeal and events of the previous night. It could certainly be a lot worse… Still her thoughts of consolation did not erase that horrid feeling of grime and impurity that spread along her body. 

Gathering up the sheets to wrap around her bare body, she slowly made her way to the nearby bathroom. Shutting the door quietly and locking it behind herself she let the sheets fall to the cold porcelain floor, staring at herself in the mirror as it became trampled at her feet. Marks of black and blue were spotted around her neck area. She noticed some by her collarbone area and some even down by her thighs. 

Tears steadily began to flow down her cheeks, dripping down onto the sheet and wetting it. The feelings she was experiencing were completely uncontrollable and brutal, like everything in the world had gone so completely wrong. She wondered how she would be able to get herself together for the remainder of the day to come. 

She had to though. It was an especially important day. She and Ruby were set to roam around the beaches of a small island the boat had docked on, while the group of explorers cleared the rest of the land, mapping it out. Perhaps Ruby would have some advice for her? After all she was much older and had already been married to Aasim for a year now. Perhaps she could explain to Clementine why exactly she was feeling the way she was… and how to stop it. Even if they’d only known each other for a short while surely she’d want to help.

In a last ditch effort to calm herself down, Clem took some deep breaths, wiping away her tears with the back of her hand. She told herself over and over that everything was okay, that she was just overreacting. She needed to be strong… she couldn’t let Louis see what his rash actions had done to her… or he would surely never forgive himself. He was still a good man, despite what he’d done. She didn’t have the heart to disappoint him. 

She somehow managed to stop crying and get into the shower, determined to scrub the sin of the previous night off until she was satisfied. It helped of course, but she still couldn’t bear to face herself again and to see those disgusting marks left behind on her body. She could merely wrap herself into a clean towel, exiting the bathroom while pretending that nothing had even happened as she dressed for the long day ahead. 

By the time she’d finished getting ready, the sun had fully risen, allotting a brighter beam of light to enter into the room. She made her way back over to the bed, where a freshly awoken Louis was now sitting up against the headboard, staring blankly out the pothole. 

“Well good morning to you, sleepyhead.” She greeted him softly, proud that she had managed to speak without her voice shaking and therefore giving way to her true state of mind. 

“Hello there, my darling Clementine… You’re already ahead of the game, I see.” He mentioned, notioning to her attire with a yawn. 

“I suppose so, yes.” She replied, looking down at the floor. “About last night…”

He quickly cut her off. “No, Clem. I-I don’t even want to think about it. I was drunk out of my mind and you were too. Let’s just forget it even happened. Please.” 

“Okay.” Was all she could say, upset by his unwillingness to discuss what had happened. How could he expect her to forget it, she thought, as though it had been nothing at all? 

“So, are you excited for today? Ruby and you will have quite a leisurely morning out on the beach, I presume. Afterwards I’m sure you can return to the ship for a nice lunch with her if you fancy. Maybe you two can get some juicy gossip in as well!” 

Clem smiled a bit, “You bet I will. But just know if I hear word of you doing the same about me with one of your friends, I will be one unhappy woman.” She teased, trying to shift the heavy mood to be a bit more lighthearted.

“Ah, hypocrisy at its finest. I would never gossip about you, there’s not much to say.” Louis insisted, standing up from the bed and walking over to her to give her a morning kiss.

She resisted the urge to pull away and returned the kiss, “Why don’t you get some clothes on, hm? I’m sure they’ll be knocking on the door at any minute and I’m sure they don’t want to see you and all your naked glory.”

“Not true, they would be just delighted to see me like this. It’s nothing they haven’t seen before, of course with the exception of Ruby.”

Clem scrunched up her nose in disgust, “I had no idea my soon-to-be husband was such an exhibitionist!”

“You bet I am…” He replied with a chuckle, before going into the bathroom for his morning shower.

Now left alone to her thoughts, Clem’s smile quickly faded. She looked around at their mess of a room, and rushed to pick up all the discarded clothes, putting them in the hamper and out of sight. The bed looked as though a tornado had hit it, so she then focused on tidying it up. Although she knew the housekeepers came every day to clean so they would not have to, she felt uncomfortable with the idea.

With nothing else to do but sit around and wait for Louis to get ready, she went into the kitchen and began preparing a cup of coffee for herself, thinking that maybe a little caffeine would cheer her up. As she poured the steaming hot liquid into a solid white mug, she began to pick up on the sound of voices coming from outside the hallway.

Thinking perhaps it was some of Louis’s friends coming to wake them up, she set the coffee maker down and rushed to the door. There was a small peephole on the door, which she squinted through to try and see who was coming. She did not see any familiar faces, but rather two figures standing near the door at the end of the hallway. Too curious to resist, she discreetly unlocked the door and pushed it open a bit.

From what she could see there was an older man and a girl who was being blocked from view by the man. She focused in on their conversation, trying to determine what they were speaking about.

“I hate to be asking you of all people, but in case you haven’t noticed, I’m simply at my wits end… The only person she listens to is you. Every time I go to her room to ask her to come along with me to dinner, she slams the door shut in my face. People are starting to wonder why I allow her to act so insolently. It has been a week now and enough is enough. The whole reason why I allowed you to come, despite my hatred for your family and all that you represent, I wanted to make my daughter happy. I needed to have some kind of bargaining chip, and yet you are doing nothing to make her listen to my demands.”

Clem struggled to hear the words of the girl, who spoke much more softly than the man, but she could tell that there was some indignation in the way she spoke to him. The man appeared to grow more and more irritated, often balling his fists up in anger.

“If you won’t help me, then I’ll have no choice but to kick you off this ship. I’m sure your father would not be pleased with you if that happened. Get your shit together and convince her to grow the hell up!” The man finally then turned to move and Clementine could finally register the girl’s appearance. It was the tall girl that she often saw at dinner with the CEO, always next to that empty seat of his daughter’s.

The fact that they were standing in front of the end of the hallway made Clem question for a moment if perhaps she was staying in room number seven, where she had overheard the previous argument. That would mean the tall girl was one of the two women… who were apparently together in some way… But Clem couldn’t quite be sure and didn’t have the time to confirm as the man started walking past her ajar door.

She quickly pulled it closed and scrambled to the kitchen, where her mug of coffee was still standing, steam rising from the still piping hot liquid inside. She sighed, grabbing the mug. There always seemed to be some kind of drama going on from within the corridor she stayed on, and she just couldn’t help but be nosey. It was simply in her nature to want to observe the people around her and all their problems. She had acquired the bad habit as a girl, having little to no social interaction with other people, especially with people of her own age. 

Settling down onto the small sofa in the living room area, she kicked her legs back on the coffee table, thinking about what she’d just witnessed and trying to put the pieces together. Although she’d seen the girl many times throughout the past week, she was still unsure of her identity or even her significance to the trip. Clem had figured at first that the girl was the young daughter of one of the officials there on business, but from the conversation it appeared she had come alone on the trip. Perhaps her parents were on bad terms with whoever the man was. Apparently the man had a daughter of his own, presumably the girl’s close friend who she kept in line. 

Then thinking back to the scandalous argument between the two women. If her intuition was correct and the strange girl was the resident of room number seven, that meant that the man’s daughter and her were more than just friends. This made perfect sense to her, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to believe it. Of course the man’s daughter was acting out, she’d just been in a massive fight with her “lover” or whatever the other girl was to her. Clem wondered if the man knew of their unusual relationship, or if he was oblivious to their involvement beyond the realm of close friends. 

“God… I’m such a busy-body, just like my mother.” She muttered to herself as she took a sip of her coffee.

“What was that?” Came a voice, which she quickly recognized as Louis. He was freshly showered and clean-shaven, now in presentable clothing and ready for the day.

“Oh nothing. Was just talking to myself.” 

“Uh oh, don’t go all crazy on me please, I need you to last till the end of this trip.” Louis replied, offering his hand up to her. “Ready to go?”

Clem nodded and set her half full coffee mug down, done playing detective. She grabbed his hand and he helped her up off the couch. “I’m surprised one of your friends hasn’t come to fetch us. I suppose you’re not as vital to the team as you thought you were.” 

“Honestly, they’ve probably gone and left without us… Not that I would mind being able to spend the whole day with you alone.” He flirted as they walked together to the door and exited the room. 

Clementine laughed a bit, surveying the corridor as she left her room. The girl and the older man from before were nowhere to be seen, to her dismay. She figured she might as well let the subject drop or else Louis may become suspicious. 

As they neared the elevator, she could make out the figures of Aasim and Ruby, likely coming down to make sure they were awake and ready to go. “Ah, see, here they are. I am important after all.” Louis said cheerfully, speeding up to meet them halfway. 

“Good morning, lovebirds. Nice to see that you’re awake and ready. We had a bet going that you two might still be in bed cuddling.” Ruby teased, walking over to hug Clementine and then Louis in greeting. 

“That’s funny, Clem and I were just making a bet that you all had left us behind. Pity that I won’t be getting that ten dollars.” Clem slapped his shoulder gently. “Oh, don’t be rude, Louis. I’m sure they’d never leave you behind.” 

Aasim chuckled a bit, “Honestly, Mitch and I were seriously considering it.” He looked around briefly, whistling as though he was impressed. “Nice place you’ve got here, that guy really hooked you up, huh?” 

Louis patted Aasim on the back, “Yep, are you jealous?” He asked, while leading the rest of the group back in the direction of the elevator. 

“Nah, I’m not much of a fan of that guy anyways. I wouldn’t want his star treatment in the first place.” Aasim argued as they all stepped into the lift. 

Clem found herself drifting off into her thoughts throughout the rest of the elevator ride, as well as the walk from the upper deck to the area where the ship was docked. Aasim and Louis cheerfully bantered, with Ruby piping in every so often. Her mind was still very much focused on the horrible night she’d had before as well as the whole scenario with the weird girl. She was far too intrigued to let it go. 

Later on as Ruby and her were walking along the sandbar, Clementine couldn’t help but inquire Ruby’s thoughts on the situation. She told her all the details, even the scandalous argument she’d overhead, but exempting the exact room number she’d heard it from so that she wouldn’t risk their secret being spread if Ruby was somehow aware of who was staying in room seven. 

Ruby had been shocked when she told her of all she heard, but there was no trace of disgust or mortification on her face, so Clem pondered if perhaps Ruby was not a prejudiced woman -- an especially unlikely thing to be when you were from the South. 

“Dear me, that’s one heck of a scandal you’ve got going on there. I’d be nosy too, do not blame yourself.” Ruby said, making Clem feel a bit better about sticking her nose into others business. 

“I know… I’m not even sure what to think of it. I mean… two women together… like that… It’s a bit odd, don’t you think?”

“Honestly, it’s certainly not the oddest thing I’ve heard of. I’m not a very religious woman, despite as it may seem with me being from the deep south and all. In fact, I had a friend back in high school who was like that. Even when she told me, I thought no different of her… Unfortunately, other people don’t exactly think like I do.” 

“I’m not opposed to it,” Clem insisted, “It’s just different…”

Ruby agreed. “You said you overheard another disagreement just this morning, correct? Have you considered maybe this “strange tall girl” as you call it has ulterior motives besides being with the other man’s daughter. It seems like there’s some family drama from what you described… as though they have some kind of agreement going on. The girl gets to come on board as long as she keeps the girl in order. I’m sure she’s got other reasons for wanting to be on the ship. Maybe business-related.” 

“Yes… I thought of that for sure. I guess I’ll have to keep an eye and an ear out for more details. I’m quite dedicated if you haven’t noticed yet.” She said with a slight chuckle. 

“So, Clem, speaking of young love. We haven’t much discussed you and Louis. How did you two meet exactly?” 

“Oh, that was a long, long time ago… In high school. I had just moved to another part of Georgia from the coast and I was quite lonesome. For whatever reason, Louis liked me and pursued me for a while. From then on, we’ve been together. He proposed to me just a month ago while we were out at dinner.”

“Hmm… you don’t seem to be very overjoyed about this proposal. Is there trouble in paradise perhaps?” Ruby inquired, way too perceptive for Clem’s liking.

“No… no, it’s not that at all. I’m very happy to be marrying him soon. What makes you think otherwise?”

“Oh, sorry dear. I didn’t intend to be rude. It’s just that you didn’t look like most girls when they talk about their marriage proposal. I know not all girls are obsessed with the thought of marriage as I was.” She explained.

“It’s all good. You’re not wrong, honestly. I’m happy, but to an extent. I’m quite nervous about it, actually.”

“Don’t worry, everyone is nervous at first. Eventually you will find peace with the idea as we all do. Have you two discussed having children within a few years?”

“We have. Probably when we both enter our thirties…” Clementine looked solemnly out to the waves rolling in. The thought of having children with Louis was even worse than marriage.

“Well, let me tell you a little secret, darling. Aasim and I have found out we’re expecting. I’m not very far along, though. It came as a surprise to the both of us, but I suppose that’s what happens when you don’t take the proper precautions…”

A shock of worry rushed through Clem’s mind. That’s right… what they’d done last night could very well result in a pregnancy… in a baby. She was mortified by her realization.

“Hey, are you okay?” Ruby asked in a concerned tone. Clem hadn’t realized but she’d come to a complete stop. She quickly came to her bearings.

“Oh, I’m so sorry… I was just surprised that’s all. Congratulations to the both of you, I’m sure your baby will just be an absolute bundle of joy.”

Ruby thanked her, although unconvinced of her explanation. The two of them continued to chatter amongst themselves until they reached the end of the sandbar. Soon after, when the heat began to grow unbearable, they returned to the ship and had an early lunch, continuing their lighthearted conversations from before.

All the while in the very back of her head, Clementine was worrying. She hoped that whatever had happened couldn’t possibly result in her and Louis having a baby. Surely it couldn’t. It was only the first time and they’d never before, so the odds had to be on her side, right?

She still could not get the thought out of her head, even as Louis and the others returned later that night, exhausted but having accomplished a lot that day. She sat through dinner, smiling and laughing along, pretending that everything was okay. This time, she completely avoided all consumption of alcoholic beverages, not because she thought she may be pregnant but because she didn’t entirely trust Louis… and she wasn’t sure she ever would again. 

When it came to be time to retire to their rooms, Clem felt her anxiety dissipate momentarily. Louis really had not been drinking much during dinner and was on his best behavior that night as they made their way downstairs together. He, however, had already caught onto her and had seen through her facade. 

“What happened with Ruby? Do tell me, I’m beyond concerned.” He’d finally said, breaking the silence between the two. She looked at him guilty, fiddling with her thumbs. “Go on.” He added, looking at her expectantly. 

She smoothed out her dress and took a deep breath. “Louis, I’m scared…”

He took her hands gently in his own. “And why is that so, my love?” Clem bit her lip, afraid of what would come out of her own mouth. 

“What if I get… pregnant… from last night. I don’t want a child. Not yet at least.” She finally said, tears welling in her eyes from nervousness. 

Louis appeared taken aback, obviously surprised by what had been ailing her for the majority of the day. “Now who put that silly idea into your head?” He questioned, cupping her cheeks with his hands. 

“I did… well, technically Ruby. She told me that she was pregnant. Oh, but please do not mention it to anyone. It’s supposed to be a secret, you see. I just thought maybe the same thing could happen with us after what happened.” 

“Oh, you silly creature. It is just not possible. Do you not remember? We used protection.” She flinched at his words, already feeling the disgust creep up on her. She’d blacked out every moment from last night, so of course she wouldn’t have known this. 

“Oh.”

“Oh is right. You’re not pregnant, don’t worry. You can stop with that silly thinking now.” She frowned, feeling a bit of resentment towards him for discrediting her anxiety. 

But after all he was right. It was silly and mindless worrying, that had unfortunately sucked up all the opportunity for enjoyment the night had held. 

She decided to switch topics. “Do you have any such idea who’s residing in the room near ours? Room seven I believe it is.” 

“Hm… room seven you say. I’m actually not quite certain who’s all staying in our corridor. If you’d like I can go knock on the door and check. I’ll just tell whoever it is that I went to the wrong room.”

Clementine thought for a moment, wondering if the risk was worth her curiosity. There was really no harm to it though, she decided in the end. “Yes, you do that… I’ll watch from afar.” She said as they approached the door. Louis lifted his hand to knock just as the door was pulled open rather violently.

Standing there was the strange girl from before, confirming that she indeed lived in room number seven. Clem was not at all shocked by this discovery but was more surprised by her suddenly opening the door when they had approached.

“Is there something you need?” The girl asked, looking at both Clem and Louis with raised eyebrows and a scowl. She didn’t seem to be very friendly, Clem thought.

Louis chuckled nervously, “I’m so sorry. We must be at the wrong door… we’ll be going now.” He turned around, giving Clem a panicked look indicating that he was intimidated by the girl. Clem gave her one last glance before pulling Louis towards their own door and away from the awkward situation.

Once inside the safety of their room, Louis gave her a look. “Why on earth did you make me do that? Did you suspect that weird girl was staying there and wanted to torture me?”

“Of course not,” She replied defensively, “I don’t quite understand what you have against the girl in the first place. Are you mad that she’s taller than you or something?”

“No… that’s stupid. Something about her just irks me. Didn’t you see the way that she looked at us… like she was above us or something?” Louis sighed, falling back onto the couch.

“She’s probably some entitled rich kid. Stop worrying about it. I just wanted to see what kind of neighbors we had.” Louis rolled his eyes, obviously not convinced, but let it go. 

The two fell into a comfortable silence for the most part after this ordeal. Louis sat on the couch for a few more minutes before deciding to head into their room and put on some night clothes and get ready for bed. Clem, although not yet tired, followed suit and slipped into her nightgown. She, however, did not intend on going to sleep anytime soon. She was much too interested in the strange character next door. She almost wished she was brave enough to go over there herself and introduce herself. But that would just be plain stupid, not to mention suspicious as well.

Instead she decided that she would lay on their bed for a while, at least until her fiancé finally fell asleep. Then, being as quiet as she could, she would sneak out to the deck above. Even if she did not bump into the girl on the way up there, she was sure she could enjoy some fresh air and the beautiful view of the empty sea as they cruised along slowly. The sun had already gone down a while ago, so she knew it would be quite chilly.

She waited no longer than twenty minutes before the man beside her was out cold, sleeping like a baby would. Knowing that he was a deep sleeper comforted her as she slipped out of bed and tip-toed over to the closet to grab a coat of hers. She turned back to glance at him, just to check if he still was asleep. Thankfully, he was and she was able to continue tiptoeing slowly out of the room and to the front door.

Before exiting she grabbed the key to the room, which was conveniently placed on the kitchen counter. She also quickly listened for voices outside, just to be safe. Once again, the coast was clear. With that, she was able to open the door and exit. Throughout the entire week she’d been on the ship, she hadn’t had a moment of peace to herself where she could just stare out at the ocean with nothing but the sound of waves crashing to and fro.

Giddy with excitement, she abandoned all her trivial worries and enjoyed the adventure at foot. She hurried up the staircase, glad to not be taking the claustrophobic elevator for once. The floor above was mostly empty, since most people had already returned to their beds and fallen asleep. This allowed for her to easily access the other stairwell up to the main deck, which was out in the open.

As soon as she entered the deck she felt the chill of evening prickling on her barely covered skin. The light wind tossed and turned her curls about. She looked around, seeing not a single person out, and continued towards the look-out ledge, which she assumed would be devoid of people as well. 

She then broke out into a run, growing more and more excited to look out at the sea. She was nearly there too when she came to a complete halt. There, on the lookout deck she could see a figure. They were leaning against the railing looking up into the night sky. As she grew closer she could make out that this person was female, with short blonde hair – lighter than any hair color she’d seen in a long time. Though she could not see the girl very clearly, she seemed to be quite young… possibly younger than Clementine was.

She wasn’t dressed particularly extravagantly, and it definitely didn’t look as though she had just come from dinner since she wasn’t wearing a dress. The girl was probably no much taller than Clem and quite skinny. Although she couldn’t be sure, Clem thought the girl had looked sad as she stared up at the stars and the moon shining above them.

Clementine pondered for a moment if she should approach the girl, feeling as though she’d be disturbing the girl’s peace and quiet. But ultimately, something inside her was yelling at her to go and make herself known. There was something different about this girl – whoever she was. What other person would be out so late by themselves just to look up at the stars?

She took one step forward. Then another until she was at the steps leading up to the ledge. Her hair was blowing every which way as she walked up the steps hesitantly, not wanting to make unnecessary sound. Clementine could see her clearly now. She bit her lip as she stood there, wondering how to make herself known without scaring the poor girl. Finally, she settled with a simple, “Hello.”

Slowly the girl turned, alerted by Clem’s greeting. Clem’s breath stopped as the girl’s face came into full view. She was fair skinned with rather delicate, yet somehow stern features. She had light green eyes that sparkled in the moonlight, reminding Clem of how Ruby’s similarly colored ones had in the sun. The girl was not extraordinarily beautiful looking, yet something about her appearance made her stand out to Clementine. 

The girl’s eyes seemed to stare right through, piercing her soul. They then moved, analyzing the rest of Clem. It made her feel as though she was being judged by a higher power, deeming if she was worthy. This girl had some strange superiority to her, but not in the haughty sense as many wealthy people seemed to.

“Aren’t you cold in that?” The girl finally spoke; her voice surprisingly soft considering her appearance. Clementine was even more taken aback, she’d almost forgotten to respond.

“I… no, I’m fine actually.” She finally stuttered out, her cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

“All by yourself?” The girl questioned, leaning back against the railing and crossing her arms.

“Yes. I had to sneak up here. It gets a bit suffocating down there.” The girl smiled a bit, looking down at her feet. “I hear you. It’s unbearable.”

Clementine glanced over at the spot beside her, wondering if it would be okay for her to join her.

“It’s okay, you can come up here. I’m not hogging the space.” The girl said, almost as if reading her mind. She felt a chill go up her spine as she moved to stand beside her.

“So… what’s your name?” The girl asked, turning around to face the water beneath them.

“Clementine. And yours?” She replied, looking up at the moon as she said so. It was a full moon – how appropriate.

“I’m Violet. People always tell me how pretty they think my name is, but I’m certain it’s nowhere near as pretty as yours… Clementine, huh? Like that old song.” Clem couldn’t help but smile. The way that the girl – Violet – said her name made it sound beautiful even to her.

“Yep. That song makes me resent my parents. I can never quite enjoy it without being weirded out.”

Violet laughed softly. “It’s an alright song, I guess. But I’ve heard better.” She paused for a moment before continuing. “Do you know any constellations?”

“No, actually. No one ever bothered to teach me, really.” She replied, her eyes glancing over the groups of stars twinkling up in the night sky.

“I know a few. Most of the time, though, I just like making up my own from what I can see. For example, up there, I see a knife.” She pointed up at the sky at some distant point.

“Wow, that’s an interesting way of seeing it. You’re not wrong, though, it kinda does look like a knife.”

“Right? I don’t know, it’s just better than all that other garbage. Little Dipper is the dumbest name I’ve ever heard…” Clem couldn’t help but laugh. The girl surely had a sense of humor.

“Do you have a favorite star perhaps?” Violet questioned, finally turning to her. Clem looked at her and then back at the sky, thinking for a moment.

“I’ve never really thought about it honestly… maybe the sun – as basic as it sounds. That’s a star too, if you didn’t know.”

“No, I was aware. And it is quite basic, but not as basic as my favorite. The only star I know the name of besides the sun… the north star. I’ve heard lots about it in books and movies, but personally I’ve never seen it myself.”

“Hmm, I don’t know much about stars myself, but I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in the North Pole. It does have quite an alluring name though, I must admit.”

Violet murmured in agreement, falling silent. Clem noticed that sad expression from before reappearing on her face. “Is something wrong…?” She questioned, afraid that she was being impolite.

“Ah, it’s nothing really. Just been having a rough few days. I think I’ll be going to bed now though. It was nice to meet you, Clementine.” Without even giving her a chance to reply, Violet hopped off the lookout ledge and began walking in the other direction, leaving Clem alone with the night sky and her pounding heart. 


	3. Compass Rose

**_April 26, 1968_ **

Clementine returned to that lookout deck almost every night for a week’s time, aimlessly waiting around for the mysterious stranger to make a return. She felt for a while that the girl she’d spoken to was perhaps some delusion of the mind; some ghost of a former time who Clem had conjured up with all her melancholy. 

Louis slept so soundly each night, he hadn’t heard her leave the room once since she’d begun the nightly return. When she returned there within an hour’s time, she felt as though she’d committed some vile crime — as exhilarating as the action was. 

She wondered briefly what he might think if he knew of her absence each night. Would he question her faithfulness to him? Or would he understand that she was simply looking to escape reality for a moment, to indulge herself in the serene spirituality of the ocean at night, before the next day took its toll upon her soul?

Her mind seemed wholly filled with this ghostly figure; of her green eyes which seeped through her very being. She’d never felt such an affinity for another human for as long as she could recall. The way she felt towards the stranger was simply indescribable, but she considered it to be just plain and simple curiosity… perhaps a want — or a need — to have a friend her own age, who still dreamed of the wonderful things she did. 

Besides this, she often spent her time inside her room, waiting for the sounds of voices from the hallway or the room near her own. Whenever she did, she would quickly hurry over to the door, opening it just slightly as she’d done before to overhear the conversation better. On only one such occasion did she see the older man and the girl staying in room seven speaking again. It had been a few days after their first argument, he’d returned to speak with her. 

Clementine heard him clearly tell the girl, “You’ve done little to convince her, but I do appreciate your efforts. However, I must give you a deadline. Next Friday. No exceptions.” And that was all she’d heard before having to close the door. 

The whole situation seemed odd to her. She wondered if perhaps the girl had made up with the man’s daughter after all. It didn’t take long to find out, though, as the following day she began to hear noises coming from room seven. Accepting the risk of being found out, she had rushed outside and checked for people standing in the hallway. 

It was empty, and she quickly made her way over to room seven, lightly pressing her ear against the door. From her stance, the noises she was hearing from within made her flush bright red with embarrassment. Whatever was going in there was far from another argument. She decided she really didn’t need to hear anymore of the outrageous sounds and returned to her room promptly. 

She took this experience as an answer to her question. Yes, the two women had surely made up. Somehow the girl in room seven had managed to make the man’s daughter forgive her. It was clear from this just how desperate the girl probably was to stay on board the ship. The second she’d heard word of a deadline she’d made amends, even though their fight had initially been started by her. 

During dinners, Clementine found herself watching the girl from room seven closely. That empty seat irked her, made her wonder why exactly the man’s daughter was so reluctant to join her father and apparent lover. She knew, though, that come Friday the mystery girl would make her appearance. She waited in such anticipation for the day to come, eager to find out the identity of the person she’d heard so much about at last. 

Then come that Friday, Clementine had sat calmly down at her table. She remained calm and collected on the outside, while on the inside she was practically jumping out of her seat to see this mystery girl. She waited a few moments, keeping her eyes trained on the two seats beside the CEO, thinking that they’d arrive at any moment. She could barely eat her food, she’d been so worked up over it all. But eventually, the person she’d been waiting for for so many hopeless nights had sat down in that very chair beside the girl from room seven. 

That girl from the lookout deck was sitting there right next to the CEO, looking almost the same as she had on that night. She was the only woman in the entire room not wearing a dress, and certainly the only woman at her table dressed in such casual garb. Surely that would not fly when you were in the company of such official people… except for when you were perhaps even more so official as them. It was clear to Clem then that the girl she’d spoken to must’ve been the man in charge of the expedition’s daughter. She was the secret lover of the strange girl in room seven. She was the older man’s disobedient daughter who had refused to come to attend dinner for so long. 

She’d had such a shock from this realization, she’d nearly lost all sense of composition. Louis had immediately shook her back to reality, asking if she was okay. 

“I’m… I’m fine…” She’d replied, beyond dazed from her discovery. She’d sat through the rest of dinner just like that, pecking here and there at her mostly inedible food. 

“Clem, it’s time for us to meet with some important people. The man in charge wants to introduce his daughter to us. Apparently she’s been pent up in her room, ridden with sea sickness…” Louis then explained, helping her stand up. The room had mostly been cleared out by then, sparing the most distinguished of guests — presumably all residents of the deck below and her corridor.

Clementine shakily walked beside Louis as they made their way over to the CEO. She wondered if the girl — Violet — would remember her, or if she would simply pretend she’d never met her in the first place. Her father quickly stood up to meet them halfway, giving Louis a firm handshake in good faith and then kissing Clem’s hand delicately in greeting. 

“Ah, my favorite young couple… It has been too long since our last meeting. I apologize for being so wrapped up in other affairs, I’ve yet to introduce my daughter to you both.” Standing behind him was Violet, looking straight at Clementine, an almost angry expression upon her face — as though she’d been betrayed. 

The man prodded his daughter forward, instructing her not to be rude. She glanced away from Clem for a moment, analyzing Louis with a quick once-over. “I’m Violet.” Was all she said before her father took over again. “She’s been violently ill so please excuse her bluntness…” Clem watched her discreetly roll her eyes. 

“That is such a shame to hear, but it’s wonderful to meet you, Violet.” Louis replied, offering his hand for her to shake. Clem remained silent, feeling completely unsettled by Violet’s derogatory demeanor towards her. 

Violet reluctantly shook his hand, quickly letting it drop after a few seconds. She then turned to her father, asking if she could leave. He granted her permission and like that she was gone from the room — presumably looking for Minerva who’d left not long ago. 

“She’s a bit of a handful that one. Never wants to listen to me. I’m sure you can tell from her choice of dress, she’s not your typical young and well-mannered sweet girl.” The man explained once he was sure she was out of hearing range. “I’m sure you too will understand once you’ve had a child of your own… despite all her indignation I still have a very special place for her in my heart. I would perhaps do anything for my little girl to be happy… although she’s not so little anymore.” 

Clem was surprised by his apparent affection for his daughter. He didn’t seem to be a very family-oriented man from what she’d heard of him. “How old is she now? She doesn’t seem to be all that much younger than Clementine here.”

“Violet recently turned twenty-two. How old are you, Clementine?” He questioned, thankfully letting her speak for herself rather than making Louis speak for her. 

“I turned twenty five last November.” She answered, watching as his eyes lit up shortly following her response. 

“Twenty-five you say?! Why that is quite close to my daughters age. Perhaps you two would find good company in your generational closeness! I daresay, why don’t you and Violet meet for brunch every Wednesday? It would be a lovely opportunity for you to speak with someone close to your own age and maybe knock some sense into my girl, eh?” 

Clementine paused for a moment, unsure of what to say. Louis nudged her with his shoulders, prompting her to frantically agree to the offer. “Why that would be d-d-delightful, yes! I would be honored to…” 

The CEO gave her a pleased grin. “I’ll set it all up and arrange for someone to fetch for you this coming Wednesday. I pray you two get along well.” 

“Clem, why don’t you get back to our room while this kind sir and I continue our discussion over some drinks? I’m sure you must be exhausted…” Louis began, giving her an urgent look. She got the message and quickly excused herself to retire downstairs. She pondered for a moment if she would go out on the deck tonight and figured that she’d better not. Louis would surely be out late that night and she couldn’t bear to run into him on the way back inside.

Clementine scampered down the stairwells, happy to get her delightful alone time as she always was. She was half-expecting something interesting to be awaiting her when she finally entered into her corridor, and therefore was not surprised in the slightest when she saw the two figures of Violet and her “lover” huddled together at the end of the hall. They appeared to be kissing rather passionately, with the taller having to bend down quite a bit to be able to reach the smaller. They were an odd-looking pair, she thought, not even referring to the fact that they were both women. They just looked wrong together, plain and simple. 

She found she had no choice but to continue walking to her room as the kissing only continued. She crossed her fingers that maybe by some miracle the two would be too distracted by one another to notice her scurrying along, just trying to get into her room and get to sleep. Unfortunately as she crept towards the two, Violet promptly broke the kiss and glanced towards her with widened eyes. Her shock quickly turned to rage as she slowly made her way towards Clem. “It’s you again, huh? Why is it that I’m always bumping into you these days?! Are you following me?”

Clementine furrowed her brows in frustration, not enjoying the tone that Violet was taking with her. It wasn’t as though she’d done anything wrong in the first place so why was she being addressed so rudely? “Hey, back off! I’m just trying to get into my room!” She insisted, gesturing to room number six which was only inches away. 

Violet glanced at the door, seeming to calm down ever so slightly before crossing her arms angrily. “Don’t you fucking dare tell anyone about what you saw, got it? I will make your life a goddamn living hell if you say a word.” Her words cut like a knife through Clementine. 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” Clem muttered, a look of irritance developing on her face as she stomped over to her room and shut the door firmly behind herself. 

She spent the rest of her night pissed off, upset over the fact that the first person she’d ever had such a strong connection with turned out to be a major asshole. Violet was just some spoiled rich kid who obviously had something against Clem after she’d found out she was one of her father’s esteemed guests. Perhaps she just assumed Clem was young and independent like she was, and felt betrayed by the idea of her being just like everyone else. 

Clementine, in a way, could still find it in herself to relate with the girl. She also had a judgement against many of the other “so-called trophy wives” who’d made it simply by following in their husband’s glory. She had never intended for things to happen the way they had. She, like Violet, had always valued her youth and independence. She liked the idea of stirring trouble, of doing the opposite of what everyone was telling her to do. But here, on this ship, she was expected to be on her best behavior. Besides that, she was supposed to be using the trip as an opportunity to finally grow up and abandon all those values she’d had in her adolescence. There was simply no way she could allow herself to act out foolishly as a child would, as it could risk it all for her fiance’s developing career. 

Her fiance, in particular, spent hours drinking with the CEO, returning sometime around three o’clock in the morning. She had been so unsettled with the events of that night that she’d stayed awake on the couch mindlessly, awaiting his arrival back. When he’d entered into the room, he’d nearly jumped six feet into the air as he saw her sitting there on the sofa in almost complete darkness. 

“Clem?! What on earth are you doing awake at this ungodly time?!” He exclaimed, rushing to her side to check if she had turned sickly in his period of absence. 

“I could ask you the same… you two must have been having quite the conversation, huh?” She questioned, looking none-too-pleased. 

He scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “I suppose you could say that. He told me all sorts of interesting things about all his rich friends. Oh, and he seemed to have a lot to say about this girl in particular. Minerva, I think it was? She sounded a great deal like our neighbor over in room seven, I was simply perplexed.” 

“Minerva, you say?” Clementine muttered, thinking back to the initial argument which had started it all. Violet had called her an odd name… Minnie or something of the like. Perhaps the girl from room seven was this Minerva person after all. 

“Do tell me more,” Clem pushed forward, eager for more details. 

Louis scoffed, patting her head lightly. “No, dear. You look half dead, I think it’s time for both of us to be getting to bed.” She sighed in disappointment, but ultimately agreed with him. Since he had arrived, she’d begun to feel exhaustion creep up on her slowly. Together, they’d both walked to their bedroom and dressed for sleep, falling asleep not much longer after they’d initially laid down.

The next couple of days seemed to drag on. All Clem could think about was Wednesday and how nervous, yet strangely excited she was to sit down and talk to Violet one-on-one again. She’d been so interesting the night they’d first happened upon each other, certainly she still had some part of herself left from that moment. Since his first meeting with the CEO, Louis often stayed up late, presumably drinking and talking with the older man in the empty bar. He told her it was the only way he could get some good old banter in; that the man was quite the entertainer. Clementine didn’t question it. She understood the need to escape from reality especially well, since she too had taken it upon herself to sneak out every night for almost a week’s time.

She no longer stayed up, waiting for him to return. It simply became too exhausting to do so, as well as incredibly boring. Clem had no actual hobbies like other people did. She was not much of a reader, nor an artist. Most of the time she found her enjoyment with the good company of other people, while other times she found it in the solitude of nature. Every time she went out on the deck she still secretly wished that the Violet from that night so far away would return and they together could pretend like nothing at all had happened and nothing had changed. 

Her wish, however, did not come and she was forced to sit in wait for Wednesday morning to come. And when it did, she was overcome with anxiety. She wondered for a brief second if Violet would even agree to come and sit with her for a while, as they enjoyed a meal together. She had been so hostile after all, it appeared as though she hated her entirely. She also worried that she would bring it upon herself to invite Minerva as well… and something about the other girl just didn’t sit right with Clementine.

She made sure to dress in the most casual of clothes, not even bothering to pick out a dress. She knew from her daily appearances at dinner that Violet outright refused to wear dresses or anything even remotely formal. She thought perhaps if she showed up wearing normal looking clothes, Violet would treat her like a normal human being.

Clem pulled her hair back in a side ponytail, keeping it just as casual as her outfit. Once ready to leave, she bid Luis goodbye and was on her way. She kept herself as composed as she possibly could during the walk up to the dining deck, but still she could not ease the shaking of her sweaty hands and the rapid beating of her heart. She didn’t know exactly why the younger girl had such a drastic effect on her, but she suspected maybe it was simply fear that she would be harsh towards her again.

She arrived there faster than originally intended and instantly began to regret her decision, wanting to turn back around and return to the safety of her room. Clem had simply no choice in the matter once she spotted Violet sitting towards the back of the room, her arms crossed and her face set sternly. For whatever reason, Violet hadn’t ditched her and it made her feel almost exhilarated.

Bunching her fists up to stop the shaking of her hands, she then made her way over to the table, plopping down onto the chair across from the other girl without warning. Violet’s eyes went wide as she was shaken out of whatever reverie had been consuming her during her wait. Clementine blinked back at her, unsure how to begin their conversation.

The uncomfortable silence continued before a waiter thankfully came by, asking Clem if she wanted a drink. She accepted the offer rather hastily, insisting that the drink be alcoholic.

Violet raised her eyebrows. “It’s not even eleven yet and you’re already planning on getting wasted? Didn’t know I was having brunch with a drunk.” She scoffed, looking anywhere but at Clem.

“I’m not a drunk. In fact, I’ll bet I drink less than you do and you’re three years younger than me.” Clem insisted with a slight pout. “I’m simply trying to calm myself down, not get wasted.”

Violet frowned, looking up at Clem finally. “Why do you need to calm yourself down?”

“I’m nervous. Plain and simple. I’m not afraid of you, so don’t go thinking that.” Clem replied sharply, crossing her arms in indignation.

“Did I ever say you needed to be afraid of me? We’re just having a nice friendly brunch together… Just two gal’s hanging out, right?” She said in a mocking tone. They’d only been there for about five minutes and were already on bad terms.

“Please, just tell me. What the hell did I ever do to you? You were so different back then on that night. This is the most we’ve even spoken and since then and I can tell you seem to have some judgement against me now.” Clem got straight to the point, not interested in continuing their petty behavior.

“What makes you think I have something against you, exactly?” Violet questioned defensively. “You’re just different from what I thought you were, that’s all.”

“Oh, so you mean since my fiancé is one of your father’s friends, you’re too cool to hang around me?” The waiter finally returned with her drink in hand. She eagerly took it from the man and began sipping it.

Once the man had left once more, Violet resumed their discussion. “I… That’s not even true,” She replied, frowning as she realized that it sorta, kinda was.

“I saw you and that girl… Minerva. Are you two together?” Clementine questioned in a hushed voice, wanting to change the subject desperately. Violet’s eyes went wide with alarm as she sprung forward to clasp a hand around the other girl’s mouth to prevent her from saying more.

Clementine attempted to speak even with her hand covering her mouth, resulting in it being completely muffled and inaudible. Violet realized what she’d done and hastily pulled away, wiping her hands on her pants. “Uh, sorry about that…”

Clem sighed, “It’s okay. I understand… well, not really actually.”

“That’s right, you don’t understand it. We must be like two freaks to you, huh? It must be nice having a man like that to protect you and take care of you. I bet he fu—”

“Shut up right now please.”

Violet couldn’t help but laugh. “You know, even though I kinda hate your guts, you are a little funny.”

“I’m not funny at all, and neither are you… What you just said now… How could you even… It’s not polite at all.”

“I guess you could say I’m not a very polite kind of girl…” Violet replied with a smirk, leaning against her propped up elbow.

Clementine took another sip of her drink, falling silent. She looked back up, suddenly meeting Violet’s gaze, which was finally focused on her. She decided then that she liked the way Violet looked at her… whatever that meant. 

“What?” Clem asked after she had continued staring, suddenly self-conscious. 

“You’re so weird.” Violet replied quickly, shaking her head.

“How so? Should I be offended?”

“I wasn’t insulting you, I’m just saying what I think. You’re weird. When I first saw you out on the lookout ledge that night I thought you were some kind of ghost, honestly. You were like a completely different person, even look-wise.” 

“I mean, I was wearing a nightgown and had my hair down. It was also dark outside, so I guess you probably couldn’t see me very well. But I assure you, I’m the same me as I was that night.” Clem insisted. 

Violet went quiet for a second, almost thinking of what she wanted to say next. “Do you love him?” She’d suddenly blurted out, taking Clementine by surprise. 

“You mean Louis?” 

“Yeah, whatever his name is. Are you some kind of arranged thing? You should’ve seen the face you made when I mentioned that thing earlier…” 

“I, um, I love him… I mean, why would I be with him if I didn’t love him. I would never be with someone if I didn’t feel something for them. But…”

“But? There’s always a but, isn’t there? Oh, I love her, but… Oh he’s the love of my life, however…” 

Clem narrowed her eyes at her. “And what about it? We’ve all got issues. I’m sure you do with that girl…”

“Oh, Minerva and I aren’t like that.” Violet said sternly, almost offended by her insinuating that what they had was anyway similar to Clem and Louis’s relationship. 

“Then what are you? Best friends who like to… do those things?”

Violet sighed, “Minerva has probably had feelings for me since we were about fourteen. Me, though, I’m not sure. I feel like I’m incapable of feeling love…” She then groaned and muttered, “God, why the shit am I even telling you all this?”

“Honestly, I know what you mean. I love Louis, or I think I do, but something with him has never quite been right. Especially lately. It feels like I’m completely disconnected with him.” Violet perked up at this, eyes widening at the mention of disconnection. 

“Right… that’s exactly how I am. I feel like I’m on a whole other plane of existence compared to Minnie. It’s like, the way I see things through my eyes is completely different from her way…” 

“Wow, that’s also how it is with Louis and I… You just described it perfectly.” 

Violet bit her lip, fiddling with her thumbs. A few seconds later she looked up at Clem again, her hand darting to take the other girl’s wrist. ”Can we go… I don’t feel comfortable speaking here anymore…” Clementine surveyed the room, wondering what had suddenly made the other girl urgently request to leave. 

“But why?” She questioned, obviously confused. Violet’s cold hand was still gripping her wrist. 

“Don’t ask questions, let’s just go.” 

Clem sighed and pulled her hand away. She stood up from her chair, taking another glance around them both as she did so. Violet slowly rose from her seat as well. With that, they both exited from the dining hall and headed upstairs to the very top deck — the place where they’d met in the first place. 

There were not many people up there since most were either eating or had gotten off the ship earlier that day when it had initially docked. Clementine knew immediately that Violet wanted to go up to the lookout place — perhaps their favorite place on the entire boat. Once they were there, Clem immediately felt as though a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“You love it here, huh?” Violet finally said when they’d settled into the spot.

“I do… but can you explain why we had to leave just now? We haven’t even eaten yet.” 

Violet’s eyes went downcast. “There’s this man here. I don’t know who exactly he’s working for but it can’t be good. I always see him in the corner of my eyes, watching me… I think he’s trying to find something to blackmail my father with. It’s kinda fucked up…” 

“So, this man, he was in the room just now? Was he there the whole time?” Clem questioned, now feeling worry creep up on her. 

“No. He came in long after we’d arrived. I was so caught up in our conversation that I hadn’t noticed him. Thankfully he wasn’t sitting too close by, he couldn’t have heard anything.” Violet closed her eyes, gripping the railing angrily. “I fucking hate that guy, whoever he is. The only place he doesn’t follow me is my room. And if it wasn’t protected by a bodyguard I’m sure he’d still try to get in there too.” 

“Woah, you have bodyguards?” 

Violet gave her a look. “That's not really the point, Clementine. I think the point is that some fucking weirdo is stalking me. Don’t you find that concerning?” 

Clem sighed, “Well yeah, but if he can’t follow you to your room or Minerva’s then he doesn’t know what’s going on between you two.” 

“I know, but I have a bad feeling that he somehow does. Like… a really, really bad feeling.” She explained, a distressed expression on her face. 

“Let’s go swimming.” Clem suddenly said, gesturing to the water below them. 

“Are you fucking crazy? Aren’t there, like, sharks in there?!” Violet exclaimed, eyeing Clem. 

“Yes but if you leave them alone, they’ll leave you alone. I just wanna swim, it’s way too hot out. Plus, I haven’t gotten the chance to while I’ve been here. Come on, it’ll help you stop worrying about this guy and whatever problem he’s got with you.” 

“I don’t know, it seems dangerous…”

Clem shook her head, reaching back to unpin her hair. Looking behind at the rest of the deck just in case anyone had come up in the time they’d been speaking, she then began to slip out of her regular clothes, sparing for her undershirt and shorts. 

Violet watched in bewilderment. “What in the hell are you doing?” 

“Going swimming, duh…” She replied once she finished undressing. She then lifted herself up on top of the railing, sitting on it and looking below at the water. It was calm and beautifully blue. She could see a few fish swimming in the water but for the most part, that area looked clear of other animals. 

Clem looked behind at Violet. “Well come on, I’m not going in alone.” 

Violet simply stood there, looking as though she’d rather do anything other than swim in the water with her. 

Suddenly Clem was back on the ground with her, closer than she’d been before. She leaned up, swiftly unbuttoning Violet’s very first button of her shirt. Violet stood there, stiff as Clem continued until the shirt was nearly off. She then looked up, checking if Violet was pissed off or something. She then noticed a chain around the other girl’s neck. Attached to it was a miniature compass with a rose emblem engraved on the very front. It looked like a locket of some sort. Clem looked back up to meet her pale green eyes. 

The expression on the other girl’s face was something she’d yet to see. Her usually pale cheeks had turned rosy. Clem couldn’t help but blush profusely and look away. She hopped back onto the railing. “You’re not a little kid, do the rest…” Was all she could say before jumping down into the water below. 

Violet watched her submerge into the water and then reappear a few moments lately. “Don’t be a pussy!” Clementine yelled back up at her, smiling happily as she splashed around the light waves. 

Violet sighed, shrugging off her shirt. Since she was already wearing shorts, she left them on and began to climb over the railing shakily looking at the distance between her and the water. 

“It’s not bad. The water will always be there to catch you!” Clem called up encouragingly. Violet nodded her head, considering that she was entirely right. The water did look appealing in such a warm climate as the one they currently were in. She took a deep calming breath and then finally pushed herself off of the railing. 

As soon as she hit the water she quickly swam to the surface, wanting to avoid the depths of the water as much as possible. Once she surfaced, Clem was already there, waiting for her. “It’s nice isn’t it?!” She said excitedly. 

“Yeah… it’s nice.” She replied, nervously looking down at the water. “How deep do you think this goes?”

“Hmm… maybe thirty feet or so. It’s close to land so it’s not that bad.” 

Violet laughed nervously, thinking about just how many weird sea creatures could be lurking beneath her waiting to take a bite. “Fuck… thirty feet?” 

“Yeah. Chill out.” Clem said, splashing her with a bit of water. 

Violet aggressively splashed back, chuckling a bit. “Oh, it’s on…” 

  
  



	4. The Tempest

**_May 15, 1968_ **

Three times. That was the amount of times she’d seen Violet in the past three weeks. Clementine didn’t even know how to feel about it. Their first Wednesday meeting had gone better than she could’ve ever predicted. They’d swam around for hours, looking for fish and having splashing wars. Violet had not been cold, in fact, she’d spoken more than ever. It seemed as though they were finally making some legitimate progress towards becoming friends. But by next Wednesday, it became apparent that things were much different than Clem envisioned them to be.

Clem had awoken bright and early to meet up with the other girl, only to be stood up. Not having anything else to do, she’d searched around for her, thinking -- or hoping -- perhaps she’d simply forgotten or was sleeping in. Nearly hours later, she’d returned to her room only to hear two voices coming from the room nearby. Violet had obviously stood her up to go with Minerva and it made Clem so unbelievably furious. She outright refused to have any communication with Violet whatsoever for the rest of the week -- which wasn’t very difficult to accomplish in the first place. 

The following Wednesday, Clem had still been slightly disgruntled, yet overcome with a strong urge to see the girl again, although she’d done such a thing. That time she had paced herself, waking up at a decent time and taking her time to get ready. By the time she’d gotten up to their meeting place, Violet was already standing to take her leave. Clementine urgently hurried over, shoving her back into her seat. “I’m here, I’m here! Don’t leave!” She exclaimed, unintentionally drawing the attention of nearby guests. 

Violet looked strange that day. She seemed as though she hadn’t gotten a wink of sleep. There was also something else hidden in her expression that Clem couldn’t quite distinguish. “You’re late.” 

“I know. But, it’s only fair though considering you totally ditched me last week.” Clementine retorted, an edge of annoyance clear in her tone. 

Violet sighed, rubbing her eyes. “Fuck, I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to. I was just fucked up that day. Minnie was all over me, begging me to stay with her and shit. I couldn’t say no.” 

Clem paused, thinking about what she could possibly mean by her being “fucked up”. 

“In case you didn’t catch on, I was incredibly hungover.” Violet quickly elaborated. 

“See, I told you that you drink more than I do.” Clem replied with a satisfied grin. “So… what would you like to do today?” 

Violet groaned. “Honestly, I’m pretty fucked up today too if you can’t see from my appearance. I don’t know, I think Minnie knows that I meet someone every Wednesday so she tries to purposefully keep me to stay the night in her room and get me drunk so I don’t go.” 

Clementine frowned, slightly disappointed. “Well, that’s okay, it’s basically out of your control… How about we finish some lunch and you go get some more rest?”

Violet had promptly agreed with this suggestion, obviously too tired to attempt doing anything else. They had gotten their food relatively quickly and had little to discuss one another. Nearly an hour and a half had gone by and they were already parting ways, although Clem reluctantly so.

The next week she was prepared to put an end to Violet’s suffering. Tuesday night she had stayed in her room, feigning some sudden onset illness. Louis was simply too eager to share drinks with his friends to stay behind, and had thankfully left her alone to conduct her plan. Until it was time, she’d paced around the room nervously, reviewing all that she had to do in order to get Violet away from Minerva and alone with her for the night so she would be functioning properly the next day. 

The very moment she heard Minerva and Violet’s now familiar voices coming from outside in the hall, she ran to her closet to grab a robe. She made sure to wet her forehead with warm water, making it appear as though she was sweating profusely from some fever. Peeking out the peephole to make sure it was the other two women and not some random strangers, she then slipped out of the door, beginning her best performance of being sickly and in desperate need of assistance. 

She kept silent for a while, noticing that Violet was kissing Minerva against the door of room seven. She had to resist the urge to gag and instead used her disgust to propel her into a violent coughing fit. Clem quickly attracted the attention of Violet, who pulled away and glanced over in shock. Knowing this, she collapsed to the floor dramatically, holding her head in her hands and moaning in pain. “Hurts…” She murmured, trying her best to appear dazed with sickness. 

Violet quickly ran over, realizing who she was. “Clem… what the fuck?! Are you okay?!” She exclaimed, grabbing onto her arms.

Clem began to fake cry, whining about her head hurting profusely. “Fuck… Where’s Louis?!” The other girl questioned frantically, moving her hands aside to check her temperature. “You’re burning up!”

“I need m-medicine… Please help me… I heard your v-voice and I knew you could help.” She whimpered, wiping tears from her eyes and smudging mascara across her cheeks for extra effect. 

Violet bit her lip. “Look, I have to get you back inside your room. Please let me help you stand up.” 

Minerva then finally spoke up, “I can help you…” She insisted, walking closer to Clem. 

“No… no just go. You get sick easily anyways.” Clementine had to resist the urge to punch her fist into the air in victory. Her plan was going even better than originally planned. She gripped onto Violet’s arms, pleading for her to help. 

“Hold on, I’m gonna pull you up, just hang onto me.” Violet then attempted to lift Clementine up from the ground, helping her stay steady by gripping onto her waist. Clem leaned into the other girl, as though she couldn’t stand on her own, but still made sure that she wasn’t too heavy for Violet to handle. 

With much effort, Violet had managed to get the door to room six open and half-carried Clem over to the couch. “You won’t make it to the bed, so this will have to do.” She explained as she helped her lay down on the sofa. She then returned to the door, closing it promptly. Taking this as her cue to stop acting sick, Clem quickly sprung up from the couch as though she was perfectly healthy. 

“What… the fuck?!” Violet exclaimed, noticing this instantly. “You need to lie down… you have some kind of terrible flu, you shouldn’t be exerting yourself like this.” 

“I’m not sick.” Clem quickly replied, staring directly at her. 

“Then what was all that? You looked pretty damn sick to me!” Violet insisted, walking closer to her. “Your forehead was so hot!” 

“Haven’t you ever faked sick so you didn’t have to go to school before?” Clem questioned with a cheeky grin. 

“Clem! That was not okay! I was fucking scared, you looked like you were dying!” Violet’s expression was full of hurt, causing Clem to instantly rethink all her actions, her grin fading within seconds. 

“I… I thought I was helping you get away from her…” She explained, gesturing to beyond the door. “Minerva… it sounded like she was being a pest.” 

Violet narrowed her eyes at Clem, crossing her arms in obvious irritation. “What are you fucking jealous of her or something??”

“No! Why would I… I just thought I was helping!”

“By nearly making me have an anxiety attack?! How the hell is that helping?!” Violet argued back. 

Clem went silent. She stared down at the floor below, unsure of how exactly to make things right. She had nothing but good intentions… for the most part. She hated seeing Violet every Wednesday exhausted and hungover. She thought the other girl would consider what she’d done as a favor, but from her reaction that was clearly far from the truth. 

“Well, I can’t go back now or she’s gonna think I left a seriously ill person for dead.” Violet finally said with a scoff, plopping down on the other edge of the sofa. Clem fiddled with her thumbs, wondering what to possibly say. 

“You could start with sorry, you know…” Violet turned to look at her. Clem stayed where she was, averting her eyes from the other girl. “Hey… don’t tell me you’re all upset now…” She reached out to gently touch Clem’s shoulder, who only shrugged away. “Um, if it makes you feel better you’re a really good actor. You sold it one hundred percent.” Violet’s rejected hand now rested beside Clem’s thigh. Eyeing it, she then found her own hand twitching, wanting to move towards Violet’s. 

Clem slowly moved her hand towards her’s, finding it within her grasp just as the door was opened forcefully. She jerked away just in time to see Louis standing in the doorway with a concerned look on his face, which soon faded to confusion. 

Violet rushed into standing position. “Ah, I should get going…” She muttered, starting to walk towards the doorway where Louis was. She pushed past him gently and entered back into the hallway. 

“Clem, my darling, I heard you had become violently ill! I rushed here as fast as I possibly could.” She cursed Minerva in her head. 

“Yes, yes… I was overcome with such chills and pain in my head. I thought I must be dying… Alas, it has passed. I’m so sorry to have caused such a fuss.”

Clementine continued through the night, acting as though she was sick -- yet not as dramatically so as she had acted with Violet and Minerva. Louis believed everything and had tried to stayup all night to tend to her, worrying that perhaps another bad spell would come and she would find him fast asleep. He had only lasted a couple hours tending to her before promptly falling into a deep sleep beside her. 

Once assured that he was passed out, she gently pushed him away from her. She desperately needed some air, as she had been inside that room for the most of the day. Finding it almost too easy to sneak out at that point, she had been out the door in mere seconds and out on her favorite part of the ship within minutes. 

There she was finally given a chance to comprehend what had occurred earlier. She had been regretful, hating herself for acting so childishly in order to get what she wanted and hurting Violet in the process. But then what was it that she’d been trying to do right before Louis barged in? Had she been trying to hold Violet’s hand? Or was she simply trying to move it away from her personal space? How could she possibly justify her strange actions to Violet if she brought it up the next time they were together? 

“God, I fucked up…” She muttered, holding her head in her hands as she leaned over the railing. As she stood there, she began to hear the sounds of footsteps, forcing her to urgently turn around. She looked around quickly, not seeing much through the dim light, and she’d started to get nervous.

Slowly, she walked down the steps of the lookout ledge, her worry only growing. As she made her way back to the stairwell she heard the distinct rumble of thunder. Recalling the roughness of the almost black waves, she immediately understood that a particularly terrible storm must be coming, giving her reason to hurry along to her room even faster. 

She was nearly there too when she was harshly grabbed from behind, a hand clamped over her mouth to muffle her yell for help. For a moment, she was sure she was being kidnapped or worse… until she heard familiar whispering in her ear. “He’s following me… he knows you're here.”

Clem struggled out of the other person’s grip, turning to see that it was thankfully just Violet and not someone trying to hurt her. “You scared the shit out of me!” She whisper-yelled at the other girl. Violet, however, did not appear to be amused in the slightest. 

“Listen, we need to get out of the open… like maybe my room or something. I was coming back from Minnie’s room just a few minutes ago and I noticed him following me like a fucking creep… I was able to lose track of him for a while and hide, but then I saw him watching you and I just went crazy… I don’t even know how to explain it…” Clem stared at her, anxiety already creeping back into her mind. She heard another round of thunder and saw the night sky briefly light up. 

“It’s about to storm, we need to go somewhere safe… he’s the least of our concerns once this storm starts, believe me.” 

Violet bit her lip, glancing around them quickly. “I think we can make it up to my room. Once we’re there we should be safe.” 

“Don’t you have a guard? Where the hell are they?”

“I… don't know… Maybe he heard the thunder and took cover. It doesn’t matter, that guy can’t get in no matter how hard he tries once I lock it. If we can make a run for it before he notices maybe we’ll make it. But we need to go like now.” 

“Alright, lead the way then.” Clem replied, reaching out to take her hand. The other girl surveyed the area once more before she started hurrying to her room, holding tightly to Clem’s hand. 

Together they crept over to the side of the boat that led to the upstairs rooms. Violet’s room turned out to be the furthest away from the rest, so it took about five minutes to make it there. Thankfully the boat’s rather massive size allowed for them to successfully get there without the man noticing them. 

Once inside, Violet hurriedly locked the door, flipping the deadbolt for extra measure, before slumping against it, her breathing heavy. Suddenly there was a loud clap of thunder that nearly shook the whole boat, causing her to jump up in surprise. 

Clem looked around the room, noticing that it was smaller than her’s but even more so luxurious. Instead of the white unfamiliarity that her room had it was instead filled with beautiful shades of purple; from the curtains to the rugs. Violet surely lived up to her name. 

“Woah… this place is so nice…” Clem murmured, walking around to take a closer look. Violet was still by the door, obviously still trying to calm herself down. From outside they could hear the rain starting to pour down as the storm system grew nearer to their location in the water. 

Clem went to the sofa and sat down, looking up at Violet’s barely visible figure by the door. She frowned and patted the spot next to her. “What’s wrong?”

Violet hesitantly made her way over and sat beside the other girl. “I’m not exactly the biggest fan of storms…” She muttered, obviously embarrassed to be so shaken up. 

“Well just keep telling yourself that we’re safe here, which we are. The storm is a storm not a hurricane. 

“How can you be so sure?” Violet questioned doubtfully.

“They would’ve warned us if there was to be a hurricane. Besides that, it is much too early for a hurricane to be developing. We are still about a month or two away from that season. By that time, though, we will have moved on from this area.” 

Violet hummed in understanding, before the two both lapsed into a period of silence – save for the occasional thundering and roar of the wind, which seemed to be picking up in speed. Unlike Violet, Clem was far from worried about the storm. Instead she was thinking about how she could possibly get back to her room by the time Louis woke up.

Surely he would be suspicious of how his sick wife had just gone missing in the middle of a terrible storm. She could already envision his panic as he woke up to discover that she was nowhere to be found. She bit her lip, focusing in on the obviously nervous person beside her instead of how she screwed she potentially was in that moment.

Violet was hunched over slightly, seeming to be hugging herself in an attempt to calm herself down. With every rumble of thunder, she seemed to jump and become even more so anxious. Clem, although she did not quite understand what she was so afraid of exactly, felt bad for the other girl. She felt a strong urge to comfort her, to hug her and tell her that it was all going to be okay. It was just too odd seeing such a vulnerable side of Violet…

Clem wondered if Minerva had ever seen her like this… if she had seen her with her guard down. In all their years as childhood friends, she undoubtedly must have, yet the concept of it made Clem irritated. Ever since she’d gotten to know Violet better, she grew to dislike Minerva even more so. It was selfish, considering she barely even knew Minnie in the first place. She just had an instinctual feeling that Minnie wasn’t there for Violet in “all the right ways”. There seemed to be some underlying motivation, considering the conversations she had with Violet’s dad and her eagerness to get Violet to behave. 

A particularly strong whoosh of wind hit the boat, causing it to roughly sway as another loud thunderclap sounded throughout the room. Violet cursed, grabbing for Clementine’s arm nearby. Clem stared at her, glancing down at her gripping her arm. She looked up again, thinking perhaps Violet was one of the most beautiful people she’d ever seen, as bad as it made her feel considering the circumstances.

Slowly, Clem reached out with her free hand and took ahold of her other arm. Violet looked back at her in confusion as she shuddered. Clementine, not even quite aware of what she was doing, began to lean forward towards the other girl. Violet was too confused to react as Clem closed the rest of the distance between them and pressed her lips firmly against Violet’s, still holding onto her. 

A few seconds passed before she realized what she had just done and what it meant. In all her years, she’d never once been the one to initiate a kiss with Louis. She’d never felt any real need or want to do it, but merely went along with the flow — first from curiosity but then out of conformity. Here she was, now suddenly kissing another girl in the middle of a violent storm, and she didn’t even know if Violet had wanted it. 

She broke away quickly, in horror of what she’d done. “Fuck… oh my god, I didn’t mean too…” She muttered erratically, wanting to disappear completely from existence to avoid the embarrassment and guilt she was feeling. 

Then suddenly, Violet was kissing her back, a hand gently placed on the side of her face, a comforting gesture which told Clem all she needed to know. 

It ended a few moments later. 

“I… I didn’t know it was like that…” Clem said softly, touching her fingertips to her lips in bewilderment. 

“Like what?” Violet questioned, confused. 

“A kiss. I’ve never felt like that when I kiss Louis…” Saying his name just reminded her of him sleeping alone in their room and the utter panic he would feel when he soon awoke. And here she was, kissing someone other than her fiancé and enjoying it way too much. She felt like a horrible human being, and truly she was. She was even worse than a cheater. 

“Have you two ever… you know…?”

Clem perked up, remembering the time that Louis had taken advantage of her drunken state. It had only been a few weeks ago and still he’d not said a word of it or tried again. Thinking of this made her feel a little bit better about herself, but still she felt like a monster in the end. 

“We have, but only once.” She replied hesitantly, cringing at her words. 

Violet’s eyes widened. “For real? Are you the saving-yourself-for-marriage type of couple or something?”

“No… I just… it makes me sick, thinking about him in that way. I didn’t even want the first time. Him and I had been drunk, and he took advantage of that… thankfully I don’t even remember it.”

“Shit… and here I was thinking you two were the perfect couple and I’d never break you apart from him.”

“Huh?” Clem furrowed her brows. “What do you mean break me apart?”

Violet sighed. “Clem, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen in my entire life that night when we first met. And the way you spoke to me only made you appear better in my eyes. I honestly wondered if you were rather a figment of my imagination because I never saw you around, until that dinner of course. And you were with some guy and I knew I had no chance. I tried… I treated you like shit at first and yet you still always wanted to talk to me. In the end, I thought maybe I would just admire you from afar…” 

“You mean, you’ve… liked me this whole time?” 

“I’ve never liked someone like this before. It’s such an unusual feeling, I’m not even quite sure what it is but that’s the closest thing. And when I kissed you just now, I felt as though it was the most natural thing I’ve ever done.” 

“Do it again…” Clem said quietly, blushing as she avoided the other girl’s gaze. 

“Look at me, then. I don’t want you to be thinking of anyone else but me right now. Louis doesn’t matter anymore. We can worry about him later, okay?”

Clem glanced up, meeting Violet’s heavy gaze. She gulped and nodded, understanding that She was thinking beyond just a simple kiss. Somehow, it did not disturb her, but instead excited her.

Violet moved forward, gently pushing Clementine down into a laying position on the edge of the couch. She settled herself between Clem’s legs, a surprisingly intimate position. She then leaned down, keeping her eyes focused on Clem’s. “Are you okay with this?” She questioned before going any further.

Clem’s heart nearly melted at the question, appreciative of Violet’s consideration for her own feelings, rather than her having been driven by her own desire and want. She nodded with a smile, giving her permission to go forward.

Violet lightly caressed Clem’s cheek with her hand before closing the distance to kiss her once more, this time. Clem knew from seeing her with Minerva that she was no amateur, and kissed with perhaps more passion than Louis could ever muster up. She kissed her back, feeling the room start to grow hot.

Her mind was mostly empty while they kissed, feeling no particular urge to think of other things or to let her imagination run amuck. Instead, she was focused on the present – of what was occurring to her right there in that instant. It was a wonderful feeling to be free of all tedious worries and concerns and to simply let go of herself. 

Violet deepened the kiss, her hand trailing down and then underneath Clem’s silk nightgown. She tensed up in anticipation, but Violet merely gripped onto her bare waist underneath the cloth. Violet then broke the kiss to breathe, before moving to kiss teasingly at Clem’s neck.

“Stop… I’m ticklish…” Clem murmured, breathless from their previous kiss. 

“That’s the whole point.” The other girl replied before continuing. Clem felt her playfully nip at a particularly sensitive portion of her neck and had to cover her mouth with her hand to muffle the noise she’d made in response. Violet’s cold hand then traveled upwards, and she swiftly unhooked Clem’s brassiere. 

“Only one hand huh?” Clem said, slightly impressed with Violet’s work, but also terrified at just how fast things were moving.

Violet finally moved on her from her neck, leaving behind light marks on Clem’s skin; far enough down to be hidden by clothing. “I’m a bet of an expert, you see.” She joked as she began to help Clem out of the straps. 

“I have no idea how you just did that without taking off the whole dress…”

“What, do you want me to?” She teased. Clem bit her lip, considering it for a moment. Alas, she still wasn’t ready for that kind of development yet and settled on staying silent. 

Violet caught her drift and quickly moved on, capturing her lips in another kiss. Clem found her own hands moving to the hem of Violet’s shirt. It was another button up, so she began to unbutton the fabric from the bottom up while kissing her back. Although she struggled to multi-task, with much effort she managed to undo all the remaining buttons of the shirt. 

Although she’d not seen many female bodies in her lifetime besides her own, Violet’s was not particularly shapely. She was mostly flat-chested and skinny, but Clem still found her to be quite attractive. 

“How about we go to my bedroom?” Violet whispered after pulling away. 

“Yeah… It’s a little cramped…” Clem replied. Violet got off of her and the couch, offering a hand to help Clem up. Shakily, she took her hand and stood up. Violet led the other girl to her bedroom and once they were inside, she firmly shut to the door behind them. 

That night Clem had experienced a rollercoaster of emotions and feelings, that no other person had ever been capable of making her feel. Though she did not have much to compare to, Violet had been arguably very skilled in the art of pleasuring, to the point where Clem wondered how she’d ever be able to do the same actions with another person that wasn’t Violet. 

When she awoke that morning, the storm had all but passed, and morning light shone through the window. She was being spooned by a still-sleeping Violet, making it difficult for her to get up. For a while she decided to just lay there, thinking about all that had occurred before she’d fallen asleep. 

It did not take long for her to unfortunately return back to reality. She remembered Louis and how he was possibly awake right now, searching for his missing, sick fiancée. She sighed, scrambling away from Violet’s grip. Her nightgown was on the floor nearby along with her undergarments. She blushed as she reached down to pick them up, dressing herself hurriedly. 

She leaned down over Violet’s sleeping body and lightly kissed her forehead, smiling at her reaction. She then collected her bearings and exited the room and then out the front door. Although the layout of the outside looked fairly different than it had at night, she was able to find her way down to the outside deck and eventually to her corridor underneath everything. She noticed on her way there that there was no apparent evidence that a storm had even passed through. 

She also noted that people were still not yet out and about, giving her hope that maybe it was earlier in the morning than she thought it was. Once she opened the door to room six, she was immediately relieved to find that Louis was still fast asleep, alerted purely by his snores sounding from the other room. She breathed a sigh of relief and sat down on the couch, thinking of all that just occurred. 

Although she was still exhilarated by everything that had progressed the previous night, deep inside of herself she felt a pang of extreme guilt. She was truly disgusted with herself and her choices, and the fact that she’d let her sensibility succumb to her desire. All those years of waiting for her to come around and Louis had never once been unfaithful, yet the second the opportunity even popped up, she had decided to do the unthinkable. And worse enough, with another girl. 

She perked up upon hearing shuffling coming from the other room, looking behind herself and into the nearby bedroom to see Louis sitting against the headboard of the bed, now awake. He yawned loudly, looking around with a dazed expression on his face. Clem quickly hurried over to him, not wanting to prolong his confusion at her absence. 

“Good morning, sweetheart…” Louis said sleepily, reaching over to embrace her. She accepted the hug, although hesitantly, and let him kiss her cheek. All the while, her guilt only grew. 

She was pretty much fucked, she knew. Eventually she wouldn’t be able to keep what she’d done a secret to Louis and would have to come clean eventually about what a terrible, dirty person she was. But for now, she figured, she might as well keep her cool and at least attempt to act normal. 

“You were so sick last night, Clem… I stayed up half the night watching over you while you sleep…” Louis continued, although she knew that was not quite true. He’d fallen asleep before she had even begun to grow tired. By then, she had snuck out. Obviously he’d been deep asleep since then. 

“How kind of you, my love…” She replied, smiling even though that was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. Louis yawned again.

“It’s okay, anything for you.” He said, shooting her a charming grin.

“So… what’s the plan for today? I heard there was a bad storm last night…”

“Hmm, how intriguing. I must’ve slept through the entire thing, as I did not have even the slightest impression there was ever a storm of any kind.”

She gulped nervously. “Well, isn’t that good for you…”


	5. Fire and Flood // Part I

**_May 24, 1968_ **

Days passed by rather uneventfully since the night of the storm. Clementine tried her hardest to pretend that she hadn’t done anything at all and had even attempted to give Violet the cold shoulder. This, however, did not last as Violet quickly called her out -- seeing through her act rather quickly. Still, she refused to see the other girl for longer than three hours at a time, out of fear that she might end up in her bedroom again. 

At first, Violet had been understanding of Clem’s hesitancy and gave her a great deal of space, but by the time a few days of this distance had gone on, she’d grown frustrated. Still, no matter how frustrated she grew, she hadn’t gone to seek refuge from Minnie even once. Clem had made sure of this nearly every night, although she knew Violet had every right to do as she pleased. 

Things with Louis were tense, to say the least. Truly, she was genuinely convinced that she’d never be able to keep her secret a secret for much longer than she already was. She wondered in the back of her mind if perhaps letting out the truth would be the best course of action after all. It was clear to her by then that she loved Louis, and she always had… but it simply didn’t compare to the way she felt about Violet. She hadn’t even known the other girl for a quarter of the time she’d known Louis, yet her feelings towards him paled in comparison to the way Violet made her feel. 

If she told him the truth she could most likely get out of having to marry him and essentially selling her life and independence for a stable future. At the same time, it was awful to imagine the betrayed look on his face as she finally revealed just how much of a piece of shit she was. In the end, she felt that perhaps she would leave her ultimate decision up to fate. 

Until then, she’d tried her best to appear at ease. It wasn’t too terribly difficult, though, considering that Louis spent much of his time away from her, either working or drinking with his colleagues late into the night (and occasionally meeting with Violet’s father). One particular day, though, Louis had taken it upon himself to invite Clem along on a work expedition for the day for whatever reason. 

“Oh, you simply must come along, my dear!” He had insisted excitedly. 

“Well what’s the point? Surely I will just distract you from your work…” She had replied, selfishly wanting him to leave already so she could meet up with Violet. 

“This island is perhaps one of the most beautiful of all we’ve seen so forth. It is larger and more desolate than any other, so there is much scenery to admire.” 

“I’m sure it is quite beautiful, but I really don’t want to be a burden to your work…” She tried to argue in a last ditch effort to change his mind. 

“Clem, do not worry about that. I want you to come. Plus, you’ll really regret not coming in a few days when we will be on the open ocean. After that we’ll hit the European mainland and I won’t be going to any more interesting places…”

Ultimately, she knew that Louis really wouldn’t take no for an answer and she would have to ditch Violet to come along with him. 

“Fine. I’ll come but don’t complain if I slow you down. You brought this upon yourself.” 

Louis smiled happily, kissing her lightly on the cheek. Clem had to force herself not to flinch away from him and forced a smile back 

She then moved to get dressed into some appropriate clothing, rather than the semi-formal outfit she’d laid out the night before in anticipation of the next day. 

Once they were both ready, Louis then led her out the door and up the two floors. She wondered briefly if they would run into Violet and how she would be able to handle the awkwardness of the situation. Thankfully, the other girl was nowhere to be seen even as they crossed to the docking section of the massive ship. 

From that point she could observe the boundless amounts of land laid out before them. Louis hadn’t been lying when he said the island was the largest of all. 

“How are you possibly going to map out this entire island?” She questioned as they made their way off the boat.

“Well specifically my team had made up plans already about how to tackle the size. We decided to split up, with each person mapping out a portion of the land. We all are pretty reliable and trustworthy when it comes to map work so as long as our combined work fits together logically, we can submit it to the council in Europe.”

Truly, Clem had never really bothered looking into Louis’s occupation and what it truly entailed. It sounded like some ancient job now that the years of crude colonization had passed. She guessed that he was hired by large and powerful corporations to scope out lands among the North Atlantic Ocean for both tourist areas and potential living arrangements. 

Almost every week, Louis would go off to explore the land they were docked at, no matter how small and insignificant it was. Along with land-matters, he was also on the lookout for rare or unusual species of plants and animals, although it wasn’t his specific speciality. 

Louis led her through the island for nearly hours. When they’d first arrived the sun had still been rising, but by the time they’d stopped for lunch (which was only the beginning half of the journey) the sun was high up in the sky, radiating sweltering heat rays down below at them. They ended up stopping at a small waterfall. Louis instructed her to sit on a damp log nearby as he brought out his backpack filled with food and supplies. 

Clementine was not particularly used to being out in the wilderness for such a long time, so by this point, sweat was pouring off her forehead and her breathing had turned heavy. He had noticed this immediately and brought their walking to a complete halt. 

He procured half a sandwich from his backpack, handing it over to her. She gladly took ahold of it and unwrapped it, eager to eat. 

“Even though you probably won’t believe me when I tell you, you’re doing surprisingly good.” Louis replied with a small chuckle as he took out the remainder of his food. 

Clem gave him an incredulous look as she bit into her sandwich. 

“For real, most people would at least be complaining and begging to turn back around…” He tried reassuring her. 

“On the outside, I may not be complaining… but trust me, on the inside I’m suffering greatly.” She joked in between bites of her sandwich.

“It’s a pretty island, though, you have to admit.” 

Clem looked around at all the green surrounding her, admiring the cascading water of the falls behind her. It was a pretty island, yes, but she could not find it in herself to think of it as highly as Louis seemed to. Perhaps she was still upset over him insisting she come along. 

It was a nice gesture, though, she knew this. Louis had obviously noticed that something was wrong with her and had finally stepped up to spend time with her. But she knew, after this he would return to his usual ways. She wasn’t complaining, though. Considering what she was doing behind his back, he should have every right to enjoy his own free time away from her. 

She remained silent until she’d finished her sandwich, tossing the wrapper over to him so he could safely store it in his backpack rather than littering the precious land. Once he’d finished eating, he made his way over to the log where Clementine sat and plopped down beside her. 

She bit her lip, looking anywhere but him. He was close now, almost leaning against her. She could already sense what he wanted. 

Slowly he leaned even closer, his lips pressing against her neck. She clenched her fists, trying to stop herself from leaping off the tree log and running far, far away. Every fiber within her existence was screaming for help, for anyone to take her away from this moment and just end her suffering already. 

Not only was she disgusted by his actions, but she was incredibly guilty. Every time he kissed her, she clearly imagined another person inside her mind. 

Seven years he had devoted himself to her… had waited so, so patiently for her to finally open up and give herself to him. All that hard work for her to be absolutely disgusted by even the smallest of touches from him. 

She had to resist the urge to cry, feeling as though out of all people in the world, she was perhaps the worst. And perhaps even more pathetic was that even after this moment she was still prepared to go running back to Violet the second she saw the opportunity. 

Louis quickly caught onto her uncomfortableness and pulled away, looking resigned. In an attempt to somehow rid herself of the incredible guilt she felt, she moved towards him again, pulling his face towards her own. She kissed him, keeping her eyes closed firmly as to not fully acknowledge what exactly she was doing. 

Their kiss felt so dull, as if both of them lacked even an ounce of passion or yearning for one another. In the seven years of their relationship, that once young and beautiful spark of teenage innocence and love had sputtered out to a deep indifference, and not only on Clem’s part. She could tell there was a change in Louis… in the way that he kissed her. She could differentiate it almost too easily now that she’d experienced the kiss of another — someone still tender and lovely, someone who actually felt an ounce of ardour towards her.

While she kissed Louis, she wondered secretly if he could tell she’d changed all along from the way she kissed him. Regardless if he did or not, she found herself no longer able to continue and began to think of pulling away. Before she could even edge away, though, he eagerly broke the kiss and confirmed her very suspicions. 

His expression was dismal, once she opened her eyes to look. He and her both knew that what they once had would simply never work out like they once had. Their marriage would be an unfulfilling and loveless one, just like what they both had been so strongly against at one point. 

Despite this shared silent agreement, neither spoke up about it, too afraid to think about a future of separation. Instead, Louis collected his belongings and began leading her back towards the boat. They shared few words throughout the walk back, never again mentioning the depressing moment they’d shared at the waterfall. 

Louis instructed her to go back to their room once they arrived back at the boat, while he and his colleagues reviewed their findings and decided if the maps were substantial enough for them to submit. 

She, of course, planned on returning to her room, although not for long. Once the two had finally separated, Clem felt an overwhelming sense of relief wash over her, but not without a great sorrow which pained her so much that she nearly burst into tears. 

She intended on returning to her bedroom to shower and change into more presentable clothing. After all, she was a sweaty mess and she needed a little crying session in the shower. 

Once she’d crossed the threshold of her corridor she began to let her guard down, already allowing for fresh tears to well up in her amber eyes. She’d promptly stopped short when she heard voices from that infamous door at the end and immediately began to grow even more upset as she fathomed the thought of Violet in there with Minerva. 

In that moment she immediately regretted having acting difficult around Violet, thinking that perhaps she had just given up on pursuing Clem at last. With warm tears beginning to drip down her cheeks, she neared the door, listening for the ultimate confirmation of her fears. 

The voices coming from inside, though, were certainly not both female. She recognized Minerva’s early on but the other was a male voice that was wholly unfamiliar. She considered it might be Violet’s father again, but the mystery man did not sound like him at all. 

She could barely differentiate just what they were discussing, as they spoke in hushed and discrete tones — indicative of the nature of the conversation as private or even secret. Picking apart the few words that were audible, she was able to distinguish that some kind of “plan” was going perfectly and something bad would be occurring within the next few days or weeks.

She also briefly caught onto the mention of some document of interest. Whatever it was exactly, she knew it couldn’t be good. Her instincts had been spot on from the moment she even caught sight of Minerva, specifically that something hadn’t been quite right with the girl. 

Clem quickly got to her bearings once she was satisfied with snooping, and hurried to the safety of her room so she would not be caught spying. Once inside, she showered and changed her clothes, before eventually beginning her ascent up to tell Violet all of what she’d overheard. 

Within twenty minutes she was standing at Violet’s door, insisting to her personal bodyguard that she was a “friend” of Violet’s, and she would surely have no opposition to him letting her in -- although she wasn’t entirely certain that was the case. Unconvinced, the guard had peeked into Violet’s room, gesturing for her to make her way over.

Clem felt her heart skip a beat once she came face-to-face with the other girl. Violet stared back at her, equally taken-aback. 

“So… do you know this woman, young mistress?” 

Violet merely nodded, not even glancing in the guard’s general direction, before grabbing ahold of Clem’s hand and tugging her inside the room. In a swift motion, she closed the door and pushed Clem against it, also managing to lock it as she did so. Clem felt her head lightly hit the wood of the door as Violet moved to capture her lips rather forcefully.

She nearly melted into the action, having yearned for the press of Violet’s lips against her own for days now. But quickly, she remembered why she’d rushed there in the first place and forced herself to push Violet away.

“That was a nice greeting…” She murmured, wiggling her eyebrows slightly at Violet, who looked back quite sternly. 

“Cut the bullshit, Clementine. Do you not realize what an asshole you’ve been this past week?” She replied, her tone harsh. 

Clem looked down guilty, “I know. I didn’t mean to hurt you… I just needed time to process all this…”

“No, I see how it is. You only come see me when you’ve had enough of your dipshit husband, and once you’re satisfied you go back to living in your little fantasy world.” 

Clementine had to resist the urge to protest, knowing full well that Violet’s accusations were simply not the truth. After all, the other girl was probably just deflecting the pain that Clem had caused her over the past few days. 

“I understand it may seem that way, but I promise I won’t be doing that again. I’m here with you and for you… In fact, I would’ve been here a lot earlier to come apologize but Louis dragged me onto the island we’re docked at.” 

Violet looked at her, almost contemplating if it was really worth it to continue to be upset.

Clementine smiled gently, reaching out to caress Violet’s cheek. “I missed you so much today… You have no idea.” The other girl flushed bright red at her words, looking down at her feet. Clem was nearly shocked by this clear demonstration of fondness and had to stop herself from kissing her again, instead trying to focus on their more urgent matters. 

“I hate to bring this up now but I believe for the sake of you and your father, it’s critical that I tell you now…” 

Violet looked up again, frowning with growing worry. “Uh, why don’t we sit on the couch, so like, my dumbass guard can’t eavesdrop anymore than he already has.” 

Clem nodded in agreement as Violet began to back up away from her completely, allowing for her to make her way to the nearby sofa and plop down seconds later. Clem ignored the intrusive thoughts that immediately entered her head, as memories from the last time they’d shared that particular sofa flooded in. If Violet was thinking of the same, she certainly gave no such indication of it. 

“This might sound crazy, right, but I think Minerva might be plotting something against you… or your father even.” 

Violet’s eyes went wide with disbelief. “Yeah, that sounds pretty fucking psycho, Clem… God, what exactly put that idea into your head now?!” She exclaimed exasperatedly, crossing her arms in indignation. 

Clem gulped, wondering if she should’ve kept her mouth shut after all. “Listen, since Minerva’s room is so close, I pretty much hear everything that goes on… First it was you and her arguing, then it was your father…” 

“My father?? What the hell would my dad want with Minnie?” 

“He was telling her that if she didn’t get you to agree to go to dinner and to go along with what he says or else he would force her off the boat… Do you know anything about her family? From what I heard, you’ve got some bad blood going on.” 

“You’re not wrong… My dad and her dad were once best friends turned business partners. It was the whole reason her and I were so close starting from a young age.” Violet explained while looking off into the distance, as if trying to recall some distant memory. 

“Then what?” Clem pressed forward, eager to hear the story behind their falling out. 

“Then my dad realized his true potential as a solo businessman and left Minnie’s dad as well as the company they had begun together. My dad naturally grew more and more successful, all the while Minerva’s father couldn’t quite handle the betrayal and tried to sabotage him back in an attempt to get revenge. My dad ended up taking quite a financial setback from it but ultimately overcame it. By then, though, their friendship was in tatters and the only connection that remained was Minnie and I.”

“That’s pretty brutal…” Clem mumbled, trying to piece together what she’d just heard. 

“I know. I hope I never have to get involved with that business shit. I couldn’t give less fucks about making money…” 

“I feel the same way. But anyways, I heard Minnie talking with this guy. I couldn’t really hear exactly what they were like… whispering. I could make out that it was sketchy as fuck, though.”  
  
“Just because it sounded sketchy doesn’t mean that Minnie is trying to betray me…” 

“Listen, I know what I heard. She was obviously talking about a plan or something. I remember they mentioned an important document and that something bad is going to happen in the next few days or whatever.” Clem continued, hoping somehow she would convince the doubtful other girl. 

“Look Clem, I really want to believe you and I don’t doubt that you definitely overheard something suspicious. But I really can’t imagine Minnie doing something like that. She’s like me, she doesn’t give a fuck about the money and the other business shit. I’ve known her for most of my life and even though I’ve kinda been a douche to her lately, I just can’t imagine her doing that.” 

Clem sighed in exasperation, wondering if perhaps she was imagining it all, and being paranoid for no reason. Sure, she wasn’t that fond of Minerva, but it had been completely out-of-line to outright accuse her of treason. 

“Shit… I’m seriously being paranoid, huh?” Clem thought aloud, scolding herself for being so nosy and trying to stir up trouble. 

“Don’t worry, if you turn out to be right, you can always tell me ‘I told you so’.” She joked, lightly punching Clem’s arm in a playful manner. Clementine laughed a bit half-heartedly, not entirely convinced yet that her worrying was for nothing. She fell silent soon, thinking about the prior events from that horrendous day. 

Violet immediately noticed her shift in demeanor and reached out to touch her shoulder. “Hey… don’t look like that. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings…” 

Clem brushed her hand off, “No… no… it’s not that. I was planning on coming over even before I heard that whole conversation, and I know I wanted to talk but I can’t even quite remember what exactly I wanted to say.” 

Violet pursed her lips, as if thinking of a response, but ultimately having none.

“Um, I… I think maybe Louis knows. About us.” Clementine finally blurted out, immediately regretting it as she did. 

“Fuck, seriously?! Did he like, say something about it to you?!” Violet exclaimed, visibly alarmed now, considering her wellbeing was also on the line as well as Clem’s.

“No, I just have this feeling. He took me along with him today on the island probably to confirm that something was going on. We stopped at this pretty waterfall and had lunch and I guess I wasn’t very talkative. He came over to kiss me and I just panicked. I tried to make it up to him but he saw right through it. He knows that something is going on and I’m worried he might start to catch on.”

Violet sighed in relief. “Jesus Christ, don’t scare me like that. I thought he outright said something. You sure make a lot of assumptions about people…”

Clem glared at her defensively. “Okay, I get the Minnie thing but this is my fiance we’re talking about. I’ve known him for seven years, I think I can tell when something is up.”

“You’re right, you’re right. Sorry, I was just a bit shook up.” Violet gently took ahold of her hands, trying to console her. 

Clementine interlocked their hands in a romantic gesture, wanting to lighten up the tension in the room. 

“Why don’t we do something a little more fun?” Violet then offered, lightly caressing Clem’s hands. Her cheeks flushed red, thinking immediately of the other _fun_ activities they’d done in Violet’s room.

“No, no that, get your mind out of the gutter. Not yet, at least. Tonight I want to do something that I’ve actually never, ever done. Not even with Minnie.” 

“Go on…” Clem urged on, anticipating whatever “fun” activity she was proposing. Violet, still holding tightly to her hands, stood up from the sofa, gently pulling her up as well.

“Uh oh, where are you taking me now?” 

“You know, our little spot. I think it’s only fair since we haven’t gone in quite a few days.”

Clem happily followed along as Violet led her out of the room. They passed by the disgruntled guard on the way out, who was puffing away at a cigar. 

“We’re just going for a little nighttime stroll. Don’t get any smoke in my room, Abel. Or else.” She teasingly warned him before darting around the corner leading to the stairwell down. The man’s grunt of indignation in response could barely be heard as Violet and her rushed down to the open deck below and eventually to their little lookout ledge. 

Once they were there, Clem immediately went to the railing, looking out at the dark water illuminated solely by the reflection of the moon. She closed her eyes, feeling the chilly night time breeze brushing her cheeks and tossing her dark curls every which way. She smiled when she felt Violet’s arms wrapping around her waist, as she leaned her chin against Clem’s shoulder. 

Clem was immediately surprised by the sensation, suddenly reminded of the first time she was there, when Louis had hugged her from behind like Violet was now doing. In that particular moment she’d felt so far away from him; so far away from any kind of love or connection. But standing there now, she felt a euphoric sense of affection and admiration towards Violet. It mattered not that they’d known each other for hardly a month now, she knew what they had together was love or something resembling it. 

“Is this all you wanted to do?” Clem questioned, keeping her voice low, as to not disturb their quiet surroundings.

“No… I actually wanted to try… dancing… You know, surprisingly, as a ‘young mistress’ I’ve never had to dance with some random dude at some cheesy party my dad threw. I suppose I have him alone to thank for not forcing that upon me.”

She pulled away and Clem turned around to look at her. Violet smiled sheepishly and offered up her hand to the other girl. “So… wanna dance?”

Clementine grinned and happily took her hand. Violet then positioned them into a classic slow-dancing stance, with her hands on Clem’s hips. Clem had settled for wrapping her arms around Violet’s neck, just like she had done with Louis whenever they’d danced together at events. It was strange, though, she had to admit, to be dancing with someone who was basically her height – excluding the extra inches Violet had on her.

It wasn’t unpleasant, however, it just took some getting used to. Violet, although completely inexperienced according to her, seemed to have a pretty good idea of what she was doing as they began to sway back and forth, gaining a collective rhythm with time.

“It’s kinda hard to dance without music, don’t you think?” Clem mentioned with a chuckle.

“That’s okay, just imagine that there’s a song playing. Maybe hum something, I don’t know.” Violet suggested.

“I don’t even know what to imagine – let alone hum. How about you do it, I’m sure you have a lovely voice considering how sweetly you speak.” Clem replied, blushing slightly.

“Hmm… I know exactly what to hum. You might not like it though.” She teased with a light chuckle.

“Ugh, I know exactly what you’re thinking of. Please don’t. I might just throw myself overboard.” Clem insisted with a roll of her eyes, knowing immediately that Violet was thinking of the song which shared her name – the song they had talked about the first time they met.

“Alright, fine. If you really hate it that much I won’t bother.” Violet quickly quipped, not wanting to make Clem annoyed. She fell silent afterwards, focusing on their steady movements so as to not accidentally trip. Once she was confident enough in herself to not fuck up, she then laid her head against Clem’s shoulder, wrapping her arms around her in a tight embrace.

Clementine immediately blushed more at the exchange, surprised by the loving gesture. They both eventually stopped moving, obviously too caught up in the moment to continue their silly dancing.

Violet pulled away, then, looking at Clementine with an intense gaze, similarly to the one she’d given the night of the storm. It had been quite a few days since they’d been together like _that_ and Clem could tell Violet was getting restless. Hell, she had been desperate for the other girl’s touch throughout the entire week of depravity which she forced upon herself as a punishment of sorts. When she’d first opened the door earlier that night she had felt so relieved – so satisfied to be receiving Violet’s affection like that. It had ended too quickly and she already found herself wanting more – as needy as that made her feel.

Violet took a quick glance around at their surroundings (to ensure that there were no onlookers) before lightly pushing Clem towards the railing, a hand pressing against her lower waist, almost burning through the fabric of her black miniskirt with its coldness. 

Clem looked back at her, eager to see what kind of expression she was wearing. The other girl looked extremely focused, as if she were contemplating something particularly complex. That in itself was something that made Violet so alluring to Clem – the sheer unfamiliarity in the majority of her expressions. Nine times out of ten Violet wore a poker face of steel – one that she was sure would take years to truly analyze. Her gaze was also always so strong and steady, and always zeroing in on Clementine in intense moments.

Clem bit her lip lightly, hoisting herself up on the railing. It was not very high up and only allowed her a slight height advantage over Violet, but she figured perhaps the leverage would come in handy if things seriously progressed. Besides that, she wanted the rush of adrenaline… of knowing that if Violet ever let go she would go tumbling into the dark waters below. It made things even more exciting than they already were. 

“Are you gonna kiss me or what?” She asked, raising her eyebrows expectantly.

Violet moved forward, settling herself between Clem’s dangling legs (perhaps her most favorite spot of all), looking up at her, green eyes twinkling with emotion. Clem simply stared at her for a while, marveling in the secret beauty which she beheld, before finally bending down slightly to meet her lips in a chaste, sweet kiss. 

They kissed just like that for a while, never daring to deepen it or to go any further. But eventually desire had seeped through — as it always seemed to — and Clem had wrapped her legs around Violet, tangling her fingers in the other girl’s locks of pale gold. Violet bit down on Clem’s bottom lip (an especially sensitive gesture), causing the other girl to unintentionally moan out, bucking her hips slightly forward. She took that as her cue to amp up her advances, one hand trailing up Clem’s ample thigh, while the other one was still holding tightly to her as to make sure she didn’t fall to her potential death.

Clem reacted hotly, squeezing Violet’s torso excitedly with her thighs -- which were still wrapped tightly around her. Violet gasped softly against Clem’s mouth as a result of the friction the other girl’s previous actions caused. Her hand, which had been placed on the edge of one of her thighs immediately went to the place where she knew she’d get the most reaction out of. 

Violet teased her a bit, causing her to whine lowly as she grew impatient. They soon fell into a similar rhythm which they’d shared during their dance. Violet got her off without much effort or time, as Clem was still so hypersensitive as their first time. They shared long and fervent kisses, with Clem often muffling her noises of pleasure into them, until finally she had reached her climax -- shuddering slightly in ecstasy as she came down from her high. When Clem finally settled down, Violet helped her down from the railing, seeing as she was too shaky to get down on her own. 

In that moment they were both too blissfully entranced with one another to notice the shadow standing not too far away, perhaps having been there, watching, for minutes. The shadow moved, disappearing back into the dark once it had seen enough. Neither of them noticed it and walked cheerfully back to the warmth and security of Violet’s room. 


	6. Fire and Flood // Part II

**_May 28, 1968_ **

It was a night like every other so far. Clementine made her way cautiously back to her room, careful not to attract too much attention to herself if anyone was out roaming about. But like always, no one was ever out there. She had been going out every night for days now and not even once did she come across another person. It was odd, almost as though there was some unspoken rule that all guests should stay inside their rooms once the clock struck twelve A.M.

Or maybe it was just that Clem was far too lucky and would one day stumble upon someone else. She always wondered if that person would bother to ask questions, or would they simply go about their own business, pretending she wasn’t even there in the first place. Maybe that person would even be Louis himself.

He would really have no right to get mad at her for being out. That would just make him a massive hypocrite. Every night he went out, seeking the company of basically anyone but Clementine. She knew it was her fault alone that things turned out the way they did. She had yearned and wished for distance and independence, and that was exactly what she got. And notably, if Louis didn’t spend his nights out till three in the morning at times, she would hardly ever spend time with Violet. It was the perfect arrangement, so she also had no right to be saddened by his constant absence.

It was only about one-thirty in the morning, a surprisingly early departure time from Violet’s. But they had both grown fatigued quite early on and decided to call it quits out of fear that Clem would fall asleep in her room. There would always be tomorrow, anyways.

Once Clem had finally retired to her own room, she’d grown increasingly aware of all the silence surrounding her and just how overbearing it was. She settled for switching on the old radio in the living room, not particularly caring that her station options were few and far between. But even the drowning on of the bluesy singers through the little box of sound became all too quiet for her. She even considered sleeping for a moment’s time, but quickly decided that it would be even more challenging than sitting around idly as she already had been.

Bored out of her mind, she let her eyes roam around the room – looking at everything but also nothing at the same time. When her gaze at last landed upon an unopened bottle of expensive red wine, she knew immediately what she could do to ease her mind-numbing agitation. Licking her lips in anticipation, she hurriedly got to her feet and moved to the kitchen counter, where the bottle was sitting.

They had just recently received it; a complimentary gift from Violet’s father. She assured herself that Louis wouldn’t be too terribly unhappy with her if she happened to drink the great majority – or even the entirety – of its contents. Even if he was, she would worry about it later.

With the bottle in hand, she reached into the brown cupboards for a wine glass; of course the biggest one of all she could find. Happily, she brought both the glass and the bottle to the coffee table in the middle of the living room. She turned up the radio just a notch before sitting down, not minding that the song currently playing was possibly the worst she’d heard in a long while.

Carefully, she’d poured out the dark red contents of the bottle into her glass, already anticipating the relief she would feel as she drank more and more. It really didn’t take all that long for her to get drunk. She hadn’t drunk alcohol in many days and really didn’t drink it much in the first place, so it only took about a glass and a half for her senses to be altered. Although it was nice to feel on top of the world and as if she were floating, her intoxication still wasn’t enough to make her forget about everything… and all the guilt she felt. This, however, only led her to drink more, nearly reaching the bottom of the bottle, just before Louis came barging through the door.

She half expected him to be drunk as well, but from what she could tell, he was strangely perfectly sober… She smiled up at him, regardless. His appearance seemed fuzzy and unclear, likely the result of her mental cloudiness. He stared back at her, a confused expression on his face. His eyes flickered over to the half-empty bottle of wine.

“Did you drink that?” He asked, rushing towards her as soon as he realized, and grabbing the wine glass out of her grasp. She, in turn, wrenched it away harshly, causing the glass to slip out of their hands and fall to the ground. Since the living room floor was carpeted, the glass did not break, but the contents inside spilled out and turned the beige carpet red, stained to resemble blood.

“Fuck!” Louis gasped out, reaching down to pick up the fallen glass. He looked at Clem as he stood back up, his eyes narrowed in annoyance. “What the hell, Clem?! You drank the whole goddamn bottle?!”

She flinched as he raised his voice, scooting away from him swiftly as though he were going to try to hit her – although she knew he never would.

“Why exactly made you feel the need to do that?!” He exclaimed, looking at her with an incredulous expression.

“I-I… don’t know…” She muttered, having a particularly difficult time speaking. She began to tear up, not understanding just why he was being so angry.

“Are you kidding me?! How do you expect me to be okay with this??”

“Y-you do it too! You d-drink every n-night!” She slurred, her mind whirring.

“Not like this, though! You nearly drank the whole bottle!”

She started to cry, hiccupping as she sniffled pathetically. “I’m sorry”, was all she could even think of saying to him. She really didn’t understand why he was getting so angry at her. She was also developing a head-splitting migraine, likely the result of her drinking too much, too fast.

“I swear, Clementine, you’re going to put everything in jeopardy… Do you seriously plan on acting like… like an immature teenager when we get married?! When will you grow up?!”

Unfortunately she didn’t have the current capacity to defend herself in any way and merely grew just as angry as he was. “Fuck you, Louis! I don’t even want this s-stupid fucking marriage anymore! I’m done!” She yelled out at him, tears dripping from her eyes.

She watched as Louis’s expression shifted to that of horror. “Clem… you don’t mean that, do you?!”

Clem tore her gaze away, unwilling to look at him or to even speak to him. She hadn’t really intended to say the words that had come out, but she considered perhaps it was better that way.

“Oh god… you found out, didn’t you? I knew you were acting strange lately…” She went silent, wondering what the hell Louis was talking about.

“I… I didn’t mean for this to happen, Clem… I wanted a future with you and you only… But… then I met her.”

Clementine turned to him slowly, her eyes wide and filled with tears. She didn’t know if she should speak up or let him continue on. But before she had the chance, he was speaking once more.

“Clem, I love Brody, but I can make this better, I promise! She can just be a forgotten memory, just please forgive me, Clementine!” He pleaded, his voice sounding desperate. She couldn’t be quite certain, but she suspected that Louis had just revealed that the reason he’d been going out every night and staying until it was almost morning was not his friends, but rather pretty and silent brunette that sat across from them almost every day at dinner.

She had rarely spoken throughout the time they’d been on the ship, and when she did it definitely hadn’t been to either Clem or Louis. It, therefore, made zero sense to her how they could’ve developed a secret relationship all along; but then again, she was sure Louis would feel the same way about her and Violet.

Though she couldn’t help but feel rather devastated by her revelation, she also knew that it was perhaps one of the greatest opportunities she’d gotten in a while, and without thinking twice she’d grasped it.

“I’m fucking leaving, Louis! What you did to me is unforgivable! There’s just no way I can drop everything and forgive you just because you asked me nicely!” She cried out bitterly, mimicking the very words she’d imagined him saying to her once he’d found out about what she’d done for weeks.

Stumbling still from her drunkenness, she made her way over to the front door, forcing herself to ignore Louis’s cries and pleas for her to stay. She had to remind herself again and again that what she was doing was necessary for her – and more importantly Violet’s safety. If she was truthful with him rather than what she was doing now, she was almost certain that Louis would become enraged and try to get back at Violet – as hypocritical as it was. He definitely wouldn’t be understanding, especially after what she’d just told him.

As she opened the door leading to the hallway, she could feel him grabbing onto the back of her blouse, trying to pull her back into the room. She somehow managed to shove him away; the force of the push causing him to crumple to the floor. With him distracted by getting back onto his feet, she was successfully able to slam the door closed and dash down the path leading to the stairs. She disregarded the elevator, knowing it would only slow her down. 

She ignored the sound of her door from afar being wrenched open and then slammed closed again, and urged her legs to move faster up the stairs. Once she’d made it up two flights and opened the door to the open deck, she hurried to the other side of the platform, where Violet’s quarters were. She was unsure if Louis was still following her by then, but she knew he wouldn’t have a clue where she’d run away to, unless of course he managed to get up there in time.

Running to Violet’s room felt oddly reminiscent of the night of the storm; when everything had changed so rapidly. Like then, she was running away from someone on that very deck, except this time she was alone and her pursuer was no longer a shady stranger but her fiancé, who she’d thought loved her very much. She didn’t know which experience was more terrifying…

Somehow she managed to reach the upper quarters of the ship and raced up the stairs before she’d even caught sight of Louis trailing behind. She sincerely hoped that he had lost sight of her entirely or had altogether given up on chasing her. Regardless, she still walked to Violet’s room at a fast pace, wanting nothing more than to be inside. Her heart was beating faster than it had ever had and her migraine was pounding. She was honestly surprised that she’d been able to make it that far without tripping over her own feet and falling on her face, but she supposed the adrenaline had overtaken her.

Clem nearly screamed in terror when she saw the tall figure standing near Violet’s room, once she’d rounded the corner, but quickly clamped a hand over her own mouth when she realized the figure was neither Louis or Violet’s bodyguard, Abel.

Minerva noticed her standing there immediately and stomped over to her. Clem did nothing but stand there in shock. Her expression was angry, far angrier than even Louis had been. She wanted to back up; to get away, but the taller girl was already too close and her own body was unresponsive.

She watched as Minerva’s hand began to move upwards, slapping her clean across the cheek. With a whimper, she’d fallen back against the wall, her own hands going up to cradle her now reddened cheek. Clem looked up at the other girl, her brows furrowing in confusion.

“Of course you’re here, you fucking whore. You have no goddamn idea what you’ve done! No idea! You ruined everything!” Minerva yelled, her clenched fists shaking with rage.

“Leave me the fuck alone!” Clem exclaimed, removing her hands from her cheek and standing up straight.

“Sure! I’ll gladly step inside and let you go fuck your little girlfriend, and I’ll be on my merry way!” She seethed sarcastically. “Hell, I’ll even drop by your room and let your stupid fucking husband know that you’re doing just dandy!”

Clementine angrily shoved Minerva in the chest, causing her to roughly fall back against the wall nearby, hitting the back of her head harshly. Her gaze turned murderous as she stood back up, barely even effected by the blow. “Oh, just you wait, bitch! Just for that, I’ll definitely be dropping by your room, but it sure as hell won’t be to lie for you!”

“This is none of your fucking business, Minerva!” Clem tried to protest, already becoming nervous that the other girl was seriously considering telling Louis about her and Violet.

“Oh, but I think it is. It became my business when you fucking _stole_ Violet! You knew about us and still went out of your way to seduce her… And now you’ve fucking ruined it… everything… But don’t worry, Clementine, it won’t matter if he knows anyways, you’re all gonna fucking die!” With that, she’d harshly pushed past the shorter girl, bumping her with her shoulder and leaving her standing there alone in utter confusion.

Once she was gone, Clem rushed to Violet’s door, pounding hysterically on it. She was in tears again, now certain that Minerva was definitely going to tell Louis the truth, just to get back at her. She definitely did not understand what she meant about them being dead, but was simply too caught up in the first part to even think about it. 

The door was opened a few seconds later, a pajama-clad Violet having answered it with a tired and confused expression on her face. “What the fuck, Clem?” 

She rushed inside without warning, grabbing tightly onto Violet as she began to sob. The other girl was stiff in her arms for a moment, until she slowly wrapped her arms around Clem as well. She held her tightly until she was able to calm herself down and stop shaking and crying. 

Clementine pulled away when she gained control of herself, wiping away at her tears. She’d cried way too much that night, to the point where her eyes had become red and puffy, and sore when she touched them. Her cheek was still aching as well, since Minerva had hit her with such immense force. 

“Jesus, Clem… What the fuck is going on??” Violet asked, looking at her with widened eyes. 

“I… I…” She took a deep, calming breath in an attempt to console herself. “I got d-drunk... waiting for Louis to come home… W-when he saw what I-I did, he got so angry… h-he started shouting at me and I g-got pissed and told him I was done. H-he accidentally revealed he’s been c-cheating on me with one of his colleagues…” 

Violet stared at her with a shocked expression on her face. “Oh… Clem… I’m so sorry…” 

“No, don’t apologize! T-this is what I deserve… I’m no b-better than Louis!” She insisted, almost trying to convince herself more than Violet. 

“Still… that doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking…” Violet crept towards her again, her pale hand going up and tilting her chin for her to get a closer look. “Did he hit you? Is this what this mark is from??” 

“No… it was M-Minnie. She was outside your door and when she saw me she got s-so mad… she said I ruined everything and that s-she was going to tell Louis about us just to get back at me… that’s why I’m f-fucking freaking out…” 

Violet’s look of concern for Clem quickly turned to anger over what Minerva had done. “That bitch slapped you?!” She exclaimed. Clem just nodded weakly. 

“I h-hit her back… just forget about it, I’m more concerned a-about what Louis is gonna do when he finds out. God, I’m s-so fucked! Minerva’s not wrong, I r-ruined your goddamn life Violet! He’s gonna tell everyone…” Clementine’s head was spinning and she felt like she was going to throw up, likely as a result of all the alcohol she had consumed. Her brain was completely in overdrive and she didn’t know how to make it all stop. 

“Clem… It’s okay, don’t blame yourself. I was also apart of this. Why don’t we just sit down and take a breather? You look like you’re about to pass out.” She agreed, letting Violet direct her to the couch. Her legs practically felt like jelly from all the running she’d done, and she was positive she would’ve fallen if she hadn’t been leaning against the other girl. 

Violet sat beside her, an arm placed around her waist protectively. Clem tried her best to calm down, leaning into the other girl’s warmth whilst trying to catch her breath. Her cheek was still red, and would likely stay that way until the morning had passed. Violet quickly noticed that Clem was barefoot and also saw that a small trail of red liquid was running down from her ankle. 

At first she’d thought perhaps it was some of the wine that she’d spilled, but the Violet confirmed that there was a small jagged cut across her ankle. She didn’t quite remember what she’d gotten it from, but assumed it had happened sometime between her running away from Louis and arriving at Violet’s. Maybe her foot had brushed up against something sharp and in her adrenaline-fueled dash to safety, she’d been too preoccupied to notice to feel any pain.

“Let me go get something to clean this up… Do you want ice for your cheek?” Violet asked as she stood up. Clem just nodded, biting her lip. In a way, she felt bad that the other girl had to tend to her and calm her down, as though she was a child, rather than an adult three years old than her. 

Violet gave her a reassuring smile, though, noticing she was looking down. She then headed, assumably, to the bathroom for a first aid kit. Once she’d located that about a minute later, she came back out into the living room and set it down on the couch nearby. “I’ll go get the ice now. You hold it while I bandage up your ankle…” She instructed, already on her way to the kitchen area to put some ice cubes from the freezer into a random cloth laying on the counter. 

When she’d returned, she handed the makeshift ice pack over to Clem, who hesitantly pressed it against her still stinging cheek. Having done that, Violet gently propped her leg up for better access and got to work with cleaning off the blood, applying anti-infection cream, and then finishing it off by sticking a tan bandage across the small gash. 

Clem stared at her as she worked, admiring how pretty she looked when she was concentrating on something. Even after all that had happened, she still felt as though she’d do it over again just to have met Violet and to have been with her. She smiled sadly, daydreaming of a different universe where they’d met the same way she and Louis had. It was unrealistic to think that they’d actually be able to continue on the way they were once her fiancée knew of what she’d done. She was sure he’d try his hardest to tear them apart and take her for his own, regardless of what he’d done with Brody. 

“I love you, Violet…” She’d heard herself suddenly blurt out, not even really intending to in the first place. She felt stupid in a way, saying those words when she hadn’t even known the girl for all that long, but no other word or phrase could better explain what she felt for the other girl. 

Violet looked up slowly, her eyes wide — obviously not expecting Clem’s sudden declaration. “You… you do?” She stuttered, obviously unsure of what to say. 

Clem let out a defeated laugh. “Yeah… I do. I-I definitely do.” She replied more confidently than she felt, 

“No one’s ever, you know, said that to me before… not even Minnie, it was never like that.” 

“It’s o-okay, you don’t have to say it b-back if it’s not true. I just wanted to tell you. T-that’s all. I wanted you to know how I really felt once everything goes to s-shit.” 

Violet bit her lip, conflicted. She then opened her mouth to speak but was immediately interrupted by a loud banging on the door that caused both of them to jump in fright. Clem gripped tightly to Violet, her heart rate starting to pick up again. She knew that he’d be coming, but she just didn’t know it would be so fast. 

“It’s Louis, I’m s-sure of it. He’s gonna fucking kill me…” Clem whispered to Violet, her voice quivering. 

“Don’t say that… it might just be Abel or something.” The other girl offered, trying to ease her anxiety.

“Does Abel u-usually come pounding on the door unexpectedly at five in the morning?” Clem retorted, obviously not buying it. The other girl said nothing. Slowly she began to pull away, slowly getting up to make her way over to the door. As she was halfway there was another insistent bang on the door, this time even louder and more urgent than the last. 

“Are you seriously gonna open that door?!” Clem whisper-yelled towards her. 

“I might as well talk to whoever is out there before they break down my damn door!” She whispered back, walking hurriedly the rest of the way to the door. Clem watched in alarm as Violet looked through the peephole of the door. 

“It’s Louis…” Violet replied after a moment. She turned towards her and nodded before her hand went to the lock and the deadbolt, undoing them one by one before placing her hand on the doorknob and beginning to turn it. Before she could even pull it open, though, Louis began pounding on the door again, yelling for Clementine to come out. 

“You know what, fuck that… he’s going ballistic.” She quickly said, locking and deadbolting the door again. “Do you think you can bring me that chair over there? If we put it against the door he might not be able to get in. Hopefully Abel will be back on the clock soon and will get his crazy ass to calm down.” 

“Wait… I think, um, I think I want to talk to him. Maybe I can reason with him?” Clementine suddenly said, rising up from her place on the couch. The other girl was silent before she sighed.

“Fine, but _please_ be careful… don’t let him hurt you, or I’ll fucking kill him myself.” 

Clementine nodded and walked over to her, leaning up slightly to kiss her lips. It was short and sweet, and perhaps their last. She then took a deep breath and turned towards the door, undoing all the locks and then finally opening it up. 

Outside, Louis was standing with his fist raised as though he was about to knock again. His expression was absolutely seething, which told her all she needed to know. Minerva definitely hadn’t been bluffing, and she was _definitely_ a garbage human being. She’d deal with her later. 

“Louis, you seriously need to calm down…” Clem said after a moment’s silence of them just staring at one another. Her voice was stable and steady once more and she figured all the chaos of the previous hour had caused her to sober up so well. 

“Clementine! You’re a fucking whore, you know that right?!” He shouted angrily at her, his fists curled up into balls of tension. 

She laughed at the irony. “You know, you’re actually the second person to tell me that tonight alone, but maybe you should reconsider that the real whore here is you. I understand that it may have been hard for you to control yourself all those years of me not putting out. You simply couldn’t help yourself when the opportunity came, regardless if it made you wrong.”

“Are you kidding me?! No man would’ve had the patience I had with you!” 

“Then why didn’t you just fucking end it, huh?! If you weren’t happy with me not wanting sex then why didn’t you just toss me aside and pick a willing girl? You asked me to marry you, for god's sake, I figured that meant you at least respected my wishes!”

“You were never fucking happy with me Clementine! Nothing I would’ve done differently could’ve stopped you from doing this! All because you’re a dirty fucking dyke!” As soon as the slur had come out of his mouth, she’d reached out to slap him harshly across the face. The force behind her strike was powerful, perhaps even more so powerful than Minerva’s had been -- and her cheek was still hurting at that moment. 

“How dare you use that word! How dare you even try and insinuate that I was never happy with you! I get that lately I wasn’t, but you are completely disregarding how goddamn hard I tried to make things work with you when we first got here… I loved you so much that I wanted to be with you even though I was so damn scared to marry you… I thought by the end of this I would finally be able to give and commit myself to you entirely, but things in real life just aren’t as perfect as that. I fucked up so, so bad and I know it’s unforgivable, but don’t you dare act all high and mighty, Louis! You did the same thing I did, and I don’t want to hear that it’s my fault you cheated… I would never, ever try and say that you deserved what terrible things I did!” 

By this point, both of them were in tears. Louis had been completely caught off guard by her hitting him, and was even more caught off guard by what she had said. Clem wondered for a moment if people in the rooms nearby could hear their yelling. The ship, for whatever reason, was always so dead in the time between the sun setting and rising, but even then it was strangely silent. 

Violet had been standing from the sidelines for the majority of their argument, allowing them to work things out without getting involved unless things escalated. Seeing a break in the fighting, she slowly crept out of her room and went to stand between the both of them. “Look, Louis, I’m sure you hate my fucking guts and all… but can you just, maybe, chill for a moment?” 

Louis bit his tongue, giving her a very dirty look. Thankfully, he kept himself quiet. 

“Okay, so, now that you’re both civil… I think you both need to just accept that you both are shitty people who did shitty things. But that’s life. Humans are terrible. At least you can both be terrible together… or apart, I guess. There’s no point in carrying on like this and trying to do something to fuck up our lives out of spite. Just let it go and move on with your lives… preferably away from each other.” 

Louis sighed, holding his head in his hands. “Fuck…” He glanced up at Violet for a moment, and then Clementine. He stared at her, tears rolling down his cheeks. “Do you love her, Clem?” He asked, his voice breaking as he spoke. 

“I do… I do very much…” She replied, wiping her own tears away from her cheeks frantically. 

He made a pained, heartbroken expression. “I loved you more than anything in the entire world…”

Clementine couldn’t help but sob, looking at the man who she too had loved more than anything else in the world at one point in her life. Things had been so wonderful when they’d started, and their years together had gradually ruined what had once been so bright and prosperous. 

“I’m so sorry…” Was all Clem could say; whispering it because she couldn’t bear to say it any louder. She was a hypocrite. She was a liar. She was a cheater. Louis didn’t deserve this, and if he hadn’t fallen down a similar path as her, she figured she probably wouldn’t have been able to live with the overwhelming guilt. 

“I-I won’t say anything about you two… I don’t want to be responsible for what follows. I already fucked up your life enough.” Louis replied weakly, causing relief to wash over her. She knew he was a good man deep down, but had been clouded completely by his emotion, and this just proved it. 

“Please… please try and be happy. With Brody, or whoever makes you the happiest,” She begged, moving around Violet and walking towards him. She cupped his face with her hands, wincing at the cut she’d created on his cheek. _The ring_. She had forgotten and hit him with the hand her ring was on. 

Louis sniffled, gently removing her hand. “I will… Be happy.” She smiled sadly, before pulling him in for one last embrace. 

“What the fuck?!” Violet suddenly yelled out, causing them to break apart and look around wildly. Seconds later, there was an ear-splitting boom resembling that of a bomb going off, that reverberated along the ship and caused it to shake and rumble. The world went black.


	7. Epilogue // Half The World Away

**_January 10, 1978_ **

“Happy birthday, baby!” Clementine exclaimed as she opened up the door and entered the room, carrying with her a large vanilla cake with messy frosting and exactly ten candles placed randomly about. Straight across from where she’d come in from was a little children’s bed beside a window with baby blue curtains. Inside the bed sat a small boy with tired eyes and a messy mane of hair. He looked up at her, his expression dazed and confused until he saw the cake. 

“Is that cake for me?” He asked hesitantly, his eyes locked on it in anticipation. 

“Of course it is! You’re the birthday boy after all!” She replied excitedly. “If you come out to the dining room I’ll cut you a little slice and you can have a special birthday breakfast!”

The boy immediately scrambled out of his white sheets and rushed to her side, eyes still focused on the cake. “It looks kinda weird.” He said once he was close enough to really see it. 

She scoffed and feigned offense. “Hey kid, watch your mouth… I know I’m not the most skilled baker ever but at least I tried.” She balanced the cake in one of her hands and reached out with the other to ruffle his hair. 

He, in response, laughed, knowing that she wasn’t actually hurt by his comment, since they had a very casual dynamic. Gently, he pushed past her and made his way into the remainder of the house, obviously headed towards the dining room. 

Clementine smiled to herself, envying his impressive energy level at such an early hour in the morning. As she followed after him, she glanced around at the house. It was sparsely lit, save for the morning light coming through the windows. It appeared almost dismal when she looked too closely, likely the result of it being so large yet so empty. 

They were the only two people in the house at the moment, but just beyond the massive structure of the main house was a small cottage intended for the maid to live. It had been a long time since the last time it’d been inhabited since she insisted on doing all the cooking and cleaning herself. It’s not like she had anything better to do most days.

She had to admit, she’d recently grown tired of the idleness of her life. Long gone were her years of adventure and wanderlust, but she’d come to terms with this as simply being a sacrifice she had to fulfill. Clementine, as bored as she usually was, couldn’t help but feel that she owed a large and likely never-ending debt to the universe. She supposed everything had changed the day she looked death right in its ugly face, and still managed to escape it. 

It had been so long since then. Nearly ten years, she knew, considering it was  _ his  _ tenth birthday. A decade. A lot could happen in a decade, she knew, but it seemed as though it was just yesterday that she had been on that boat in the middle of the ocean. In fact, almost every night she returned to that very place when she lay her head down to sleep. Every dream… every nightmare felt so incredibly surreal to her that by the time she’d awoken, she’d forgotten what was real and what was not. 

“Mom, are you gonna light the candles?” The boy called out, his voice sounding impatient and disgruntled. She sighed a bit and went towards one of the drawers, setting aside the cake. Inside lay a bunch of miscellaneous crap that she had no use for, except for the lighter. Once she had finally located it, she pushed the drawer closed, retrieved the cake, and went to the dining room area. 

Once she set the cake down, the boy eagerly licked his lips, obviously still excited to eat it even though it didn’t exactly look all that appetizing. Clem smiled at this, standing over the cake and struggling with the lighter. She didn’t exactly like handling flames, and had such a strong aversion to fire until recently, so she had little idea how to make the thing work. 

After about five minutes of trying, she eventually slammed the contraption down onto the wood table, more harshly than she’d intended to. The boy flinched then let out a mocking chuckle. “I knew you wouldn’t be able to do it.” 

She rolled her eyes jokingly. “Well just imagine you’re blowing out candles… they’re overrated anyways.” 

The boy shrugged, rather indifferent. He just wanted his cake for breakfast, as sloppy as it looked. 

“Shall I sing for you?” She questioned, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

“God no. Leave the singing to the singers…” 

Clementine couldn’t help but laugh, as brutal as his insults were. “Alright well… dig in, I guess.” 

“I need a fork, though!” He insisted, looking up at her with a confused face. 

“Nuh-uh, you have to eat with your hands like an animal when you’re ten.” She teased, before going to get some silverware and plates from the dusty china cabinet. She promptly set them down on the table and precisely cut two pieces of cake for them, ensuring that his piece of cake was bigger than hers, so he could at least feel special. 

He immediately devoured his slice of cake, and predictably asked for another. She didn’t protest, after all, it was his day. He deserved as much. When they were both finished, she didn’t rush to put the cake into the fridge or the dishes and silverware into the sink. She figured there was no point in rushing, no one was going to see the state of their house. 

The boy surprisingly sat still in his chair. This was unusual for him, since normally he was constantly on the move. He didn’t look at his mother, his expression inquisitive and his brows turned down in what seemed like confusion. She knew at first glance that something was on his mind, but she let him speak first as to not force him into admitting it. 

It didn’t take him long to find the right words to say and the courage to even bring these words to fruition. He merely glanced up and met her eyes with that heavy gaze of is; a gaze far too knowing and deep for a boy of only ten years. “Mom, who did you name me after?”

Clementine was a bit taken aback at this, having expected his question to be something much more difficult to talk about. “Well, AJ, I don’t think I’ve told you this before, but you share the same name as your paternal grandfather, Alvin. Um, your dad always told me he wanted to name his first son after his own father.” She explained, obviously hesitating at the mention of his father. 

AJ sat for a moment, looking down at his empty plate once more in contemplation. When he looked up this time, his gaze was stronger than it had been. He looked confident in what he was yet to say. 

“Tell me about my dad.” He replied firmly, not exactly asking but more so, demanding. It was his right to know, and he had reached an age where he could properly comprehend what she was telling him. She didn’t want to lie, per say, but she knew she couldn’t tell the full truth. It was only right that she told him only good things about  _ Louis _ . 

“Ah, I’m not sure where to start… We, um, were together for about seven years before we had you. We met in high school. I had just turned fifteen when I met him and he was about to be eighteen. He was a senior, and a very popular one at that. I guess you could say it was a little odd how he fell for someone so much younger than him, but he was never anything but respectful at that age. We were mostly just friends who had feelings for each other for the three years until I turned eighteen.” 

AJ pursed his lips in confusion. “How did you guys even meet if he was much older than you?” 

She sighed lightly, racking her brain for the details which had grown so fuzzy in the past years. It was difficult to recall what the man she’d devoted seven years of her life to even looked like, let alone how everything had started all those years ago. “Honestly, I can’t quite recall. My memory isn’t the greatest… But I can tell you that he was super determined to win me over. Lord, I’ve never had someone so obsessed with me.” 

“Isn’t it bad to be obsessed with someone?” The boy piped up, not quite understanding what she meant. 

“Oh no, honey, not always. You’ll understand the difference between good obsessed and bad obsessed once you’re that age. Anyways, your dad asked me to marry him in ‘68, right around this time of year. I was kind of conflicted at the time, considering I was still young and wanted to be an independent person. But, of course, I said yes.” 

“Why did you say yes if you didn’t want to do it?” He questioned, becoming more confused by the second at the unfolding story. It was increasingly difficult to explain adult-stuff to a child who has yet to experience those things himself. 

“Sometimes people have to do things that they don’t really want to do, that’s just life, sweetie. I tried my hardest to feel good and excited about marrying your father, and I was so determined that I went on a ship with him. You know the one…” 

AJ nodded lightly, his expression turning dark. He already knew where the story was heading, she supposed. 

“We had… some problems on this boat. It’s hard to explain, AJ, but things just weren’t working out. That’s when I met this girl. She was much younger than me and quite feisty too... Never in my entire life did I want to be someone’s friend so bad, even though she was mean to me at first. I’d never really had many friends besides your dad, anyways, so I guess part of me just wanted to befriend a girl my own age.” 

“Not just a friend, mom. You don’t have to dumb it down for me, I already know about this.” He cut in, making her laugh loudly. 

“Well, yes, I wanted more than a friend in her, but when we are in those situations we don’t immediately realize our true feelings at first. Anyways, your dad and I were drifting apart as the days on this ship passed. He had friends and colleagues to spend time with and I had made a game out of pursuing this girl who wanted nothing to do with me, really. It was just something I did to ease the loneliness of him being so busy, but I guess after a certain extent, I pushed him away without realizing it.” Her voice began to grow weaker as she neared this part in her explanation, almost choked up on the memories of her mistakes. 

“It’s okay mom, you don’t have to blame yourself. I’m sure dad did some bad things too.” AJ comforted, reaching out to take her hand as he noticed her getting emotional. She smiled at the gesture, reveling in just how sweet the boy was at times. 

“Yes, he did bear some blame… but in the end it was a mutual thing, just remember that. We, um, both found other people that we loved on the boat. It wasn’t something we planned, we just fell in love with other people. I just happened to fall in love with another girl. That same girl that I at first convinced myself I just wanted to be friends with.” Clementine felt comforted at the thought of her and Violet’s first kiss, which had changed the entire course of her life. 

“Was it scary?” AJ suddenly asked, squeezing her hand gently in another attempt to console her. 

“God, yes… It was the scariest thing I’d ever gone through in my life. You know how people are now, so just imagine how bad it was back then when we first got together.” It felt odd to be confessing such feelings when she had so little people she could confide in, but she had raised him to be judgement-free, and accepting of all different types of people as long as they were truly good-natured. 

“I’m sorry, mom. I wish I could’ve been there to make you feel better.” He remarked, looking up at her with teary eyes. It was beautiful just how much empathy the little boy had within himself. 

“It’s okay, I have you now… That’s good enough. Now back to the story, I haven’t mentioned this, but the girl I loved already had a girl who loved her. Her name was Minerva, and she was a terrible person, who only cared about herself and what she wanted. She found out that I had gotten with the one she loved and became very, very angry. She even tried to fight me one night! Can you believe that? Don’t worry, though, your mom hit her right back… not that you should follow after my example.” 

“I don’t like to fight, anyways.” AJ commented, shrugging a bit. 

“Minerva did something really, really bad the night of our fight. She told your dad about the girl I loved, and he became so angry that he tried to fight me too. But, it’s okay, I was able to calm him down and apologize. He was in the wrong as well, remember that. Right as this happened, though, there was a huge explosion from down in the boiler of the ship. Do you know what that is?” 

“I think so… What happened when it exploded?” 

“Well, I just passed out so I can’t quite remember, but when I woke up the entire ship was in flames. It was really scary… probably the scariest moment of my entire life. But I was safe because I was on the very top, away from where the boiler had imploded upon itself. If I hadn’t gone out on the deck at that moment I probably wouldn’t have survived.” 

“Woah, that’s so scary… Where was dad?” 

Clementine hesitated, putting a hand on her chest. Her gaze was unfocused, as though she were watching the events play out in her head as you’d watch a film at the cinema. “H-he was… I think he was already gone by that point… I rushed over to him where he was laying and he was just… still. No matter how hard I shook him to wake up, he wouldn’t move. I couldn’t lift him, he was much bigger than me, and I couldn’t just stand there and wait for the flames to spread up to where I was.” 

AJ bit his lip, looking as though he was about to cry. “Mom…” 

“What, honey?” She asked, her brows furrowing with concern for the boy. She knew the story was a gruesome one, but he had asked for honesty. 

“I wish I could’ve met him.” He replied, his voice sounding small and weak; nothing like his normal self. Even he struggled with the loss of the father he had never even gotten the chance to meet. 

“I know… I’m eternally sorry I didn’t try to do more to help him, but I was too much of a coward. I didn’t want to die. Besides, if I had tried to help him more I might’ve gotten injured even more than I already was, and then I’d be no help at all. I guess I figured in that moment if I could run down and get help then someone could save him. I didn’t know any better, though. Everything I tell you now is blinded by ten years of hindsight. And boy, it is twenty-twenty.” 

He nodded, not even quite understanding what that meant, but urging for her to go on with the rest of the story, even though he knew that it would just get worse from there on. 

“After I had decided to move on, I attempted to check inside the girl’s room, thinking she’d gone in there for shelter. The people inside the rooms nearby were already beginning to rush out, having been awoken by the terrible noise the explosion had caused. I really didn’t even notice them, I was mostly concerned with finding where she’d gone… Her room was empty and she wasn’t anywhere on that floor.” 

“Did she leave you guys?” AJ questioned, trying desperately to understand. 

“Yes, but not willingly. You see, I didn’t know this at the time, but Minerva -- the nasty girl I was telling you about -- had hinted towards what was about to happen. She had told me that nothing mattered because we were all gonna die in the end. I figured out after everything that she was partially responsible for the blast. She was working with another man on the boat to steal something important from the man who owned the boat. He was once business partners with her own father and had essentially betrayed him for his own preservation. 

“So, who was the bad guy here?” 

“I’d say both parties bear some blame, but the ones who caused the deaths of hundreds of innocent people just for their own benefit are the true monsters in this story. But, then again, things had not always been intended to end that way. They originally had come on board with the intent of causing a small explosion which would only serve as the distraction they needed to steal the item they’d come looking for. I’m not sure when exactly the plans morphed into something more sinister, but once Minerva had figured it out, she’d tried to save the girl that she loved. But, of course, she refused to come with her. She had to be taken by force.” 

“So what did you do after you realized that this girl was gone?” He prompted, trying to redirect her back to the part of the story she’d left off in. 

“Ah, yes, I got ahead of myself, didn’t I? Oh well… So, I ran as fast I could down the stairs and around the deck, searching for the girl. People were screaming and running for the lifeboats, some already extremely injured… some unharmed. It was chaos. But all I cared about was finding her and then getting back to your dad. As crazy as it sounds, I actually went down another deck, thinking maybe she’d gone down there for whatever reason. It was pretty stupid, going closer to where the flames were, but I wasn’t thinking straight. Of course I couldn’t find her anywhere down there and I was genuinely concerned that the fire would trap me from exit if I waited longer, so I left. By the time I got back onto the deck, people were cramming into the lifeboats. I didn’t see her anywhere.” 

Clementine paused for a moment, collecting her bearings. She tucked a stray curl behind her ear, thinking of what she had done at that point in the story. 

“Mom, was I in your belly at this time? Did you know?” 

“Oh, right, I forgot to mention. You were with me the entire time this whole thing unfolded. Sure, you were not even two months old, but you were there, and I didn’t have a clue at the time.” She explained, thinking back to how surprised she’d been when the doctor had told her she was three months pregnant, upon her visit with complaints of stomach pain. 

She knew it was obviously from the one time with Louis, even though he’d insisted he’d worn protection. But, alas, he clearly had not, otherwise AJ wouldn’t be sitting there in front of her. She had felt an immeasurable amount of guilt at the time, thinking that she’d done such irresponsible things at the beginning of her pregnancy. But somehow, he had been strong enough to come out healthy and unfazed by her carelessness. 

“I guess that makes me a survivor of this story too, huh?”

“Of course, you were certainly brave.” She replied with a small chuckle. “I searched all the surrounding lifeboats, looking for her with sheer desperation. Then in the distance, I saw a commotion from a boat different from all the others. It was a ways away, so they’d left the ship perhaps around the time I’d gone down to the deck below. I couldn’t see the occupants of the boat very well since they were so far away, but I could hear them. It was someone yelling my name, and very loudly at that, considering they were able to be heard from such a distance even with all the chaos surrounding me. I knew at once it was her.”

“The girl you loved?” He attempted to clarify, and she nodded in confirmation.

“Yep. Minerva and that man had managed to take her unconscious body from where we’d all been when it started and forced her into a boat. She had apparently woken up through this struggle and was calling out my name in an attempt to locate me… Of course, she was too far out for me to do anything, but I had gone running towards the edge of the boat, waving my hands frantically and trying to get her to notice me. That was when the second explosion happened. The force of it knocked me off my feet and down into the water below, but by some miracle I managed to fall in a way that didn’t cause any harm to you or me.”

“That’s crazy… I bet the ship was really high up too, right?”

“It was. But thankfully, I was a really good swimmer. And if I hadn’t been knocked into the water, my fate surely would’ve been much worse. It was horrific how much damage that second explosion had caused to the remainder of the people on the deck. And that’s when I knew I wasn’t going to be able to save your father… It was too late.”

AJ stared at her. “So… that’s how he died?”

She smiled sadly, nodding her head. “I… was basically powerless in that situation. Nothing, at least I think, would’ve been enough to save him. For all I know, he could’ve passed just from the impact the first blast made. Everything was just so messed up, even though I still regret not doing more. I was selfish, honestly, but my selfishness allowed for your survival.”

The boy was silent for a while, his hand leaving hers. She wondered for a moment if he perhaps blamed her for his father’s death. In which case, she would be understanding, since she too blamed herself for the way things had unfolded.

Clementine took a deep breath, placing her hand on his shoulder. “Hey, kid… Why don’t we go out to the park and then I’ll some ice cream? This story was kind of depressing, I’m sorry.”

“No thanks.” He responded bluntly, his expression completely unreadable.

“Hm? You don’t want to play at the park? That’s odd.” She teased a bit, in a futile attempt to lighten the mood.

“I just… I want to see dad. I want to talk to him.” He replied, voice quiet.

Clementine bit her lip, thinking of how she could comfort the poor boy. “I’ll tell you what, one day I’ll take you to meet your grandma and grandpa. Not my parents, but your dad’s… You can also meet your aunts and uncles if you’d like. They are all really nice, and they all want to meet you.”

“Really?” He perked up a bit, obviously in approval of this idea.

“Of course… We have never gone to see them because they live so far away, but I’m sure we can arrange something one of these days. We can also stop by your other grandparent’s house too, if you’d like. You’ve already met them, but I don’t think you liked them all that much back then. They don’t really agree with some of the life choices I’ve made.” She said with a half-hearted chuckle.

“Where do they live?” He asked, curious as ever.

“They live in Georgia. It’s in the United States. You’ve been there before. It’s the place I grew up in and the place your dad and I met in…” She explained, standing up from the table to finally clear the table and put away the remainders of the cake into the fridge.

“Why did you leave Georgia, mom?”

“Oh, many reasons. I guess I sort of fell in love with this country when I came to stay after I was rescued from the ship. It’s a really gorgeous place, with lovely people. But, of course, when you’re old enough you can decide that for yourself. Your dear mom will just rot in Paris all lonely and old!”

That gained a laugh from him thankfully. “I don’t ever want to leave you, mom. You’re my favorite person ever…”

Clementine paused for a moment, letting the sink water run as her limbs went stiff. “How sweet of you… Don’t worry, your mommy’s favorite person ever too!”

“More favorite than mama?” He questioned, not entirely convinced.

“Yep, even her. You’re number one. And I’m sure you’re her number one as well.” She insisted.

AJ opened his mouth to speak, but was promptly cut off by the sound of the front door opening.

“Speak of the devil…” Clem muttered, with a grin. She threw down the sponge and shut the water off hurriedly, rushing out of the kitchen and towards the door which had just opened. Without even warning, she ran forward to the person who’d just stepped inside the door and practically leapt into their arms.

“Woah, woah, woah! You almost knocked me down!” The other person exclaimed, managing to catch onto her and wrap their arms around her, warmth spreading around her body as they made contact with another.  _ Nothing felt better than this _ , Clem thought, snuggling into the chest of the person not much taller than herself. 

They embraced for what seemed like an eternity to AJ, only to break away and meet in the middle for a rather impassioned kiss, going at it like they hadn’t done so in nearly a year. The boy nearby groaned aloud, expressing his disgust with their blatant displays of affection, as a typical child did in such an instance. This caused the two to break apart, both laughing at his reaction. Once Clem had backed away from the incomer, they finally got the chance to address AJ.

He stood a few feet away, staring at the woman who he also called mother. Although she was not biologically so, she had raised him since the moment he’d come into the Earth. She treated him as if he were her own, and nothing less.

“Welcome home, mama…” He spoke up, looking at her shyly. It had been a while since she’d been home, as she had been overwhelmed with work matters for the past few months. She had vaguely mentioned coming home to celebrate his tenth birthday, but it had never been a definite thing.

Violet smiled, extending her arms towards him. He immediately rushed forward into her arms, and she made a point to spin him around, although he’d grown so heavy in the past few years. He wondered how much longer she’d be able to do that.

“Happy birthday, my love!” She exclaimed when she’d finally set him down back onto the ground. She looked at him with such an intense affection and adoration that it would be nearly impossible to dismiss her as truly being his second mother.

“Thanks…” He responded, blushing a bit in embarrassment. “Um, did you fly home in a plane?”

“I did! It was really long and boring, but it was totally worth it! Now I get to spend the day with you two… You have no idea how much I missed you guys… and being home.

Clementine took a moment to look at the two most important people in the world to her. She loved them with every ounce of her heart, and she knew she would do anything to keep them by her side. Sure, she missed Louis and the freedom to live as she once did, but she would never not be willing to sacrifice it for the way her life was now. Sure, she would never be able to live a normal life with her parent’s approval, or society’s approval, but after going through what she had, those things simply seemed so superficial.

She had barely escaped her own demise, and perhaps worse, had nearly lived a life of lies. For the rest of her life, however, she would ensure to make all the sacrifices necessary to repay the mercy which had been extended to her by her maker. She would somehow manage to repent for her actions by providing AJ with a wonderful and enriching lifestyle, and raise him to be a person much better than she had ever been.

She would raise him just the way that Louis would’ve wanted him to be. After all, she owed it to him. He still existed inside her heart, although she could not quite remember him clearly, she would surely never forget how he had pulled her out of her shell and gave her opportunities that she never would’ve had without his help. She would never forget what he had done to her and what a mess he had nearly created, but she also wouldn’t forget that he was a truly good person despite everything that had happened in the last moments of his existence. Of all things, though, Clementine would never be more thankful for the opportunity to spend the remainder of her life with the woman she loved the right way. 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! I never actually thought I would complete this story so quickly, as short as it is! I don't exactly have the greatest track record on completing stories but I managed this time only because there were so few chapters. I never intended for this to be a long work, but it's already a couple thousand words over what I anticipated!! When I started this story I had just gotten back into TWDG fandom after literal years (AKA when S2 of the game came out), and I was so in love with Vi and Clem together, so I just had to start writing again! I actually started this work off with a prompt from this one book thing where it gives you a bunch of story ideas and you have to complete it and from there on I was able to come up with the idea... I'm not exactly the greatest with plot... since I'm just used to focusing on the romance, but I do enjoy having another concept to write about along with the developing romance... Anyways, I apologize if anyone thought this was too rushed or too short, but I tried my best to write an effective story start to finish in only seven chapters. If anyone is interested, I'm actually writing another fic for this couple! 
> 
> But to everyone who read, thank you so much for the support! You guys have no idea how happy it makes me! <3


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